Silver for Glass
by White as Sin
Summary: A curious young merprince with a voice like no other's. A lonely human prince with eyes of ruby. What is the price paid for true love? What pain is endured for that sake? Warning: Shounen ai YY Finally Updated!
1. Prologue: Under the Sea

Hey everyone! I think I need a little break from some of my bigger stories and angst one shots to do something a little new: fairy tales!  
  
I was thinking a little to myself, after reading this amazing fiction, Queen of Glass by S.J.Maas on FictionPress.net (it's still needs to be continued but you should read it!), about fairy tales and how they are not very innocent if you care to do some research about that particular topic.  
  
Adrian: Oh yeah, like the REAL story of Little Red Riding Hood. It goes like-  
  
No way are you telling them. Who knows the ages of the people who read this! Anyways, before my muse interrupted me, I was thinking of writing a different version of a fairy tale. Well, this one is the story of the Little Mermaid, the REAL story that Hans Christian Anderson wrote, not the sweet, innocent version Disney cooked up.  
  
Mind, it will be yaoi, and one of my first yaoi stories at that, but I'll do my best. I know this seems really odd. but I will do my best to please all of you. Thank you (bows).  
  
~*~  
  
Title: Silver for Glass  
  
Genre: Romance/Angst/General  
  
Rating: PG (for the moment)  
  
Summary: The Little Mermaid was a female right? WRONG! Join the Yu-Gi-Oh! Cast in the NEW version of Anderson's story. Warning: Shounen-ai Y/Y  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Silver for Glass  
  
The story of The Little Mermaid is a cherished story. A story of love lost and yearned for, and selflessly given. In different versions it ends in sad loss, or sweet joy.  
  
However, know that this is not the lightest of fairy tales, like many of them. This is not a story meant for the lovers of the media of today. The Little Mermaid was never a girl, but instead a boy, a boy with the most beautiful voice under the sea, that loved another who lived above the water. He yearned for the love returned and a chance to receive it was given, but at a terrible price. Yet perhaps was this attempt doomed? And perhaps it was, for how could love be portrayed without words or song to carry it?  
  
Over time the story had been twisted, as details fade and die away from the word of mouth. It has changed almost completely, but has a single, shining feature that shines within it, a diamond in the rough: the sacrifices one makes for love. Some argue about the morality of a male loving a male, so they have changed it, for the sea boy to become a maiden instead. But- some things that are meant to be secret return at the strangest times.  
  
Without further adieu, I present Silver for Glass.  
  
~*~  
  
Prologue: Under the Sea  
  
~~~~  
  
I loved the ocean dearly. It was I, and I was it. Seawater seemed to flow through my veins rather than blood; currents moved me about rather than any motion of lean, lithe form or trailing tail.  
  
It knew my emotions. It chuckled when I laughed, it raged when I was melancholy. When I was young, it sang me to sleep, telling me of the mysteries of the depths. As I grew older, the water was my companion, not my nurse, showing me the things it had sung about to me.  
  
I was happy, the youngest son of the king under the waves. My brothers and I played, unafraid of the things the curious humans above the waters feared. The terrible kraken, which dragged the ships of the two-leggers forever into the depths of our underwater kingdom, was our playmate. We never feared the sharks, for they never harmed our people or us. And the Leviathan of the Deep? He was my godfather.  
  
The palace I lived in was lovely to look upon. Tall spires of crystal needles and elegant, sweeping galleries made of glass and amber and coral was settled upon the ocean floor. Words could not describe it, even now. Oysters of black shells with soft interiors of delicate pink and linings of silver decorated the walls, opening to reveal their treasured hearts of pearls of white, rose, black, and gray, each lighting the palace with their different hues of light. Fish swam freely through the palace, jewel bright in color with trailing, soft fins. They were like the birds of above we heard so much about, coming to beg for a treat or to simple settle upon an offered shoulder or hand. Music was everywhere, the soft crooning of the currents, the chiming of the crystal ornaments swaying in the water, and the singing of the merpeople, as well as the inhabitants of the great sea.  
  
My brothers and I sang as part of that music, and we were said to have voices that none could rival, even down here in the ocean. Our audiences murmured that we were the very epitome of the lovely sirens who still dwelt in the far north, crooning their hypnotic songs to humans and lulling them to their doom within the ocean. But I had the most beautiful voice of them all, or so I was told. When I was with my brothers in a storm, when the ships of humans broke, casting the wretched sailors down, we sang to them to not be afraid, to accept the gentle embrace of the water. The waves would calm slowly at the sound of our voices, being soothed. Alas, they are not like ourselves, and do not understand our language as we crooned our melodies to them. Eventually they drowned, their bodies turning to white skeletons forever dwelling on the ocean floor.  
  
Ever curious, my brothers and I wanted to know of the surface; of the world the humans lived in and came from. I had three brothers, and of them I was the youngest. We were all different, in appearance and nature alike, but we made our father proud.  
  
Ryouji was the eldest of us all. He was the quietest, yet the most intense of all of us. I remember his eyes the most of everything about him. His eyes were the green of emeralds, calm, knowledgeable optics of the same hue as the ocean water at night, when the many undersea lanterns were lit. They seemed to look right through whomever he was talking to, seeming to penetrate his or her mind. Father always said he would make a wonderful king.  
  
I agreed completely. Ryouji was meant to be a leader; nothing else was suited for him. However, despite his quiet personality, he could have a fiercely competitive nature, especially in the case of strategy games. When he was younger, he grew angry when he did not turn out as the best because of his stubborn pride and ruthless ambition. However in time and age, he learned to temper his anger, gradually as an ocean storm would calm down as time passed. He became graver in his thoughts and actions, for my father constantly reminded him of his responsibilities as a monarch. However, my eldest brother did not resist in having a bit of fun once in a while with my brother Malik.  
  
Ryouji had half of the mermaids at our court swooning over him and Malik. It was hard to resist his well-built body and his fins of the deepest green, the exact shade of his eyes, as well as his long hair of the darkest black, darker than the ink clouds of squids. His skin was pale, like mine, going very well with his handsomely chiseled face. He was built to be quite a showy merman, and lived for the role. There were almost always admirers nearby wherever he went, a feature he admitted in secret to me that was most uncomfortable at times despite his shows of preening. Despite his many faults, he was an excellent role model for me, and like my other brothers, took care of me.  
  
There was then the second oldest, Malik, the most impatient of us all. Yet to me, he was always gentle, a sparkle of brotherly affection in his eyes when he looked upon me. He never hesitated to drop his work to help me with my studies or to explain about the mysteries of the sea and our people.  
  
Many of the more savage creatures of the ocean enjoyed his company. He could be seen with the manta rays, the powerful but playful creatures that glided gracefully through the water upon their enormous fins, swimming with them and learning their secrets. It is rather unusual that Malik would ever be able to be with them, for they could be very shy, despite their fearsome appearance, and any sign of temper or frustration was enough to cause them to swim off in fright. But yet, they trusted him with a most admirable degree of faith, something that was akin to god worship.  
  
He was always easy to pick out, at least in my eyes. His appearance was exotic, like our cousins in the warm waters of the east. Hair of fine white gold fell into his cool, level eyes of the softest lavender; however, the strands of hair stubbornly refused to be tamed and smoothed down at the most ill-opportune moments. His skin was a warm brown, colored with the palest hue of the odd material the ships of the humans were made of. He was built powerfully, but I knew that his strong, fine-boned hands would never rise to strike a child. His tail and fins were of a delicate violet, a shade darker than his eyes, and glowed strikingly when the sunlight hit them from just the right angle. He did not mind preening a little with Ryouji, being one of the most handsome mermen in the court along with him, yet it never went to his head, as he was a shy, somewhat solitary merman at heart.  
  
Then there was my brother Honda, the third oldest. He was not as hot tempered as Malik, but he had the same gentleness. However, he never showed his affection completely in ways we would call normal. His affection was more in the way of play fighting and mock-anger toward us, his siblings. I tolerated it, thinking it great fun at times. Malik thought it was ridiculous, and Ryouji humored him, though usually with dour expressions.  
  
He was the rebel of our family, but never quite crossed the line dividing conformity to full out disobedience. Father thought it was quite amusing really. Unlike my other two brothers, he did not attract quite as many mermaids to him with his looks. Yet some were indeed interested in his rebel personality, and somewhat tough exterior. Despite the somewhat callous facade, Honda was quite sensitive, prone to going into moods of depression when turned down by a particularly pretty mermaid.  
  
He had the most curious appearance of us all. His hair, no matter how much attention he paid to it, always insisted on being untamable, a sort of crest of brown hair that protruded from his scalp. Malik enjoyed calling him a narwhale to irk him, for the way the crest was shaped, and infuriating the brunette successfully. Putting aside the odd hair, which was his most distinguishing feature, Honda was not a total loss. His eyes were a most elegant gray, sometimes flickering silver when he was upset or angry, set within his well-sculpted face, which was not handsome like Ryouji's or beautiful like Malik's. It was well formed, which was the only thing I could really say, yet that was a feature that belonged to him, making him unique. His fins were of a rich blue, almost sapphire, a nice color that suited him.  
  
And there was myself, Yuugi. I was the most unusual one, and the shyest of my brothers, even more than Malik. Others told me I was thoughtful, a dreamer, and I suppose that was true. I found no interest in most of the things my brothers liked. Instead of flirting, I preferred to sing or to play with the occasional pods of dolphins that passed. If I had the chance I always enjoyed solving puzzles, the more difficult, the better. I suppose I was rather solitary, despite my usually optimistic personality.  
  
Of all my brothers, I was the one most curious of the surface, and this curiosity granted me several disapproving looks from the elders and several of my peers. Despite being young and being "unusual," I still had a number of admirers, who often chased after me because of my voice and my appearance. Unlike my other siblings, I was built to be somewhat frail, very delicate, so I wasn't quite as capable of staying out as long as them and at risk from the chases my admirers provided. My brothers were always very careful around me, fending off some of the more persistent admirers.  
  
I was very slight, yet I could be remarkably fast in the water, eluding my brothers easily. It wasn't as thought I didn't appreciate their help, but I had my own ways of disappearing from ill-favored company. My hair was most unusual, black yet with a red sheen to it, the bangs yellow gold. It always insisted on sticking up straight in odd spikes, as infuriating as Honda's crest, to my chagrin. My eyes were violet, but much darker than Malik's. Malik once commented with a soft smile that although my eyes were darker, they were far more innocent than anyone else's. My tail and fins were colored white, like the pale pearls that illuminated the palace, glowing with soft hints of pale blue and pink.  
  
Those days were lovely, as we played and lived in bliss within our world beneath the waves. However, I always felt something missing in my heart, something seemed to diminish the happiness I felt, no matter how great. No one could understand it; no one could fill it.  
  
Until the day I saved the prince.  
  
~*~  
  
Well? What do you think? I hate to blackmail, but I want about 6-10 reviews on this. Please? *big puppy dog eyes*  
  
Reviewers for this chapter get an Adrian plushie and two-dozen boxes of Pocky! 


	2. Of Songs and Stories

Thank you SOOOO much for the reviews! *throws out Pocky and Adrian plushies*  
  
I forgot the disclaimer! *collective gasps*  
  
Ken: [gets shoved out in front of everyone] Hey! [clears throat and says in a monotone] The author does not own any of the characters from Yu-Gi-Oh! or the plot of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. That is all. [slouches off]  
  
Adrian: Who shoved the stick up his-  
  
Me: [hastily covers his mouth] Not here, you idiot! There could be children reading! Er. he he? [tries to smile, but pathetically fails]  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter One: Of Songs and Stories  
  
"What story do you want this time?" asked Malik, looking at me. He was a master storyteller, and in the evening, when we as brothers gathered to share time as siblings, he was our main source of entertainment.  
  
"About seeing the world above the waves!" I said eagerly.  
  
He laughed. "That one again?"  
  
"Of course, you know that our younger brother is obsessed with humans and the world above," Honda teased, swimming in to join us. He settled beside me on a polished coral bench, ruffling my hair playfully. I batted the hand away, grinning. Malik smiled at the scene, about to begin.  
  
Ryouji then came in through the door. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "Father wanted me to take care of something. Am I late?"  
  
"You're just in time, Ryouji-niisan," I said cheerfully.  
  
"That's good." He settled on my other side, giving me a gentle hug.  
  
"Anyways," Malik said a bit impatiently. "May I continue?"  
  
He took the silence that followed for assent and started the tale. "It has been a tradition for the royal family that when all children reach their fifteenth year that they go up to the surface to see the outside world for the first time. They must do it alone, however, in the full regalia of their rank."  
  
"Which means wearing those damn oysters," Ryouji muttered darkly.  
  
"The oysters are a mark of rank," remonstrated Malik. "With rank comes pain."  
  
"A whole lot of pain," said Honda and I could not help but chortle.  
  
Malik glared at him. "Will you let me continue?"  
  
"Sorry, your HIGHNESS," drawled Honda, bowing. "Do continue with the fascinating tale."  
  
Ryouji cuffed him with a hand. "Quiet, dolt."  
  
I listened in fascination as Malik told us about the people who did not have fins, only odd sticks on which they stood and wobbled about on. They went about the sea on their curious vessels, sometimes catching fish and other creatures. On land, they built great cities, perhaps not as beautiful as ours under the sea, but far more fascinating.  
  
I yawned widely, and tried to stay awake a moment longer, not wanting to miss every word. But his voice slowly lulled me to sleep, as I dreamed of land men and sailing vessels.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ouch!" yelped Ryouji. "Watch where you're putting that thing!"  
  
"My apologies, your highness," came the solemn voice of his servant, Rishid.  
  
I looked in on him with a smile. "Preparing for your first view of the surface?"  
  
"What else?" my eldest brother grumbled, tossing back his black hair and causing the crown upon it to dangle precariously off his head.  
  
Rishid fussed, darting about and fixing the headpiece. "You must be ready soon. Your departure is to take place when the sun rises."  
  
"I know," my older brother growled. "I think everything is taken care of, Rishid. You are dismissed."  
  
"Yes, your Highness." Rishid bowed and swam off.  
  
I came into the room, my present tucked under my arm. "It's a big day for you, Ryouji."  
  
"I know it is." He smiled at me. "I feel ridiculous with all of this on though."  
  
"You look wonderful!" I protested, and I did not lie.  
  
The scales of his fin were polished until they gleamed like gems. His long hair had been combed and decorated with strands of golden kelp and ornaments of pearl. A circlet of amber sea lilies and white pearls was wrapped about the gold coronet of the Heir upon his brow. Chains of gold and coral hung around his thin waist, clinking musically as he moved, as well as a thin wrap of transparent, luminous green silk from the Eastern Seas. Bands of gold and gems gleamed at his wrists. About his neck was a single necklace, an emerald the exact shade of his eyes hanging from a gold chain.  
  
He laughed, sitting down and wincing slightly. I then saw five enormous oysters, a mark of his rank as the Heir, clamped down his tail and I also winced, but in sympathy. "Then I thank you, little brother," he said, laughing again.  
  
"Oh, I wanted to give you this, before you went down to the celebration and your swim," I said, shyly giving him the gift I was carrying.  
  
I watched in apprehension as he pulled away the wrappings. A soft smile crossed his face. "Thank you very much for these. You knew I was searching for new ones, ne?" I blushed.  
  
I had presented him with a set of carved dice. Beautifully carved with coral, they gleamed from within their holding box. Each were deposited into specific compartments, marked with what games they could be used for.  
  
"Check the side of the box," I whispered, blushing darker.  
  
He blinked at me, bemused, but obliged. I had painstakingly carved, "With much love, Yuugi" upon one side of the box. His smile widened and warmed.  
  
"I will treasure these always," he said and pulled me into a tight, warm embrace.  
  
I blushed even more. "Happy Birthday," I whispered.  
  
Ryouji pulled away before I gave a clown fish competition in terms of color. "Let me put these somewhere safe." He rose and slowly swam to his desk, opening a drawer and tenderly laying the box within it. I knew for a fact that he only stored very special things within that desk, and he held the dice set and the box dear to him already, despite their simplicity and somewhat childish sentiment.  
  
"Good luck, Onii-san," I said with a smile. "You should be downstairs soon. Everyone is waiting for you."  
  
"Of course," he muttered a touch darkly. But he straightened up, managing to paste a smile on his face. "I do have to appease the fair maids."  
  
I giggled at his mock-heroic face, kissed him on the cheek, and went off.  
  
~*~  
  
I lingered at the front gates of the palace. Many of the others had gone to sleep, after the festivities that had preceded and followed my older brother's journey. I yawned, tired as well, but was resolute to be the first to greet my brother.  
  
To pass the time, I softly sang, the sound carrying through the currents about me,  
  
"Where have you gone, my heart, my love?  
  
To the lonely depths of the sea?  
  
Has a siren caught your heart?  
  
Were we never meant to be?  
  
Return to me, sweet darling,  
  
The ocean is so vast,  
  
In all my years I could search,  
  
Until centuries have past.  
  
Shall I harden my heart, my love?  
  
Let ice stop the hurt  
  
As I wait for you  
  
Forever as I sit here  
  
As I always wait for you."  
  
I stopped for a rest and then I heard a familiar voice calling back an answer to my song,  
  
"I have not left you, my heart, my love,  
  
Not to the lonely depths of the sea,  
  
My heart is only yours,  
  
And yes, we are meant to be.  
  
I am coming to you, my darling,  
  
Although the seas are vast.  
  
You do not have to search for me,  
  
Not like seasons past.  
  
Do not harden your heart, my lovely,  
  
The ice will only imprison you,  
  
You will not have to wait forever,  
  
As I am coming for you."  
  
"Ryouji!" I shouted as he came nearer, looking weary, but exultant. I swam to him and he gathered me in his arms.  
  
"You didn't have to stay waiting for me, you must be tired," he told me, but he seemed pleased.  
  
"But I wanted to!" I protested, stifling a yawn. "I wanted to be the first to see you home."  
  
"All right, all right," he laughed, pulling me closer to him.  
  
"Tell me what you saw!" I demanded immediately.  
  
He grinned. "I knew that there was some ulterior motive. All right. But let me get something to eat and get out of this-" He gestured to himself. "- Then you'll be the first to be treated to my first look at the surface."  
  
~*~  
  
By the time Ryouji had satisfied his hunger and abandoned his finery, we had gathered an audience, clamoring to hear about my eldest brother's trip. Honda and Malik managed to squeeze through the gaggle of simpering mermaids trying to get at my brother.  
  
"Out of the way!" snapped Honda, throwing dignity and etiquette out to the wild currents.  
  
"Can we not have a moment's respite with our own brother?" growled Malik.  
  
After some effort (And much bribery on the part of Ryouji and many threats on Malik's part), the sycophants were shoved out of the room. Finally left with some peace, Ryouji told us what he had encountered on his journey to the surface.  
  
He had gone to where the waters were shallow, near the shore of a human town. Darting under the deep bellies of the ships arriving, he followed them further, closer the world of men.  
  
He told us about the people there, going about on their twin stumps called "legs." Some were dressed in bright scarves and skirts, colorful as the fins of angelfish. Others seemed to just drape their ungainly legs with drab colors: blue, gray, and black. They seemed to be in a hurry, always, their voices calling in gruff, harsh languages.  
  
He told us how he wanted to go closer, but was almost caught by an enormous black beast that howled and growled in warning. At that point, he opted for another seat, a rock some distance out to sea where the statue of a mermaid dwelt. We laughed as he described it to us, saying that it would offend many of the lovely maids in our court because of its sheer ugliness. It was obvious that it was a human who carved such a thing.  
  
I lost myself in his tale, my weariness slowly wrapping about me like a soft mantle. And I dreamed of being in that world, seeing these strange people and conversing with them, to sate my curiosity about him.  
  
~*~  
  
Malik chuckled under his breath as he prepared to leave. "Well, I would ask you to remove these confounded ornaments and oysters," he said, after I asked him for the third time if I could do anything for him. "But you can't and I am not supposed to remove these, so there really isn't any point."  
  
He played with the knife I had given him for his gift, a trinket I had found in the shipwrecks. It was a lovely thing of gold, set with purple stones dark as his scales. He gave his tail a dark look.  
  
"Sorry," I said with a wince, seeing the four oysters upon his tail.  
  
"I can live with it," he shrugged, then he grinned maliciously. "Honda, the narwhale, is going to get his own when he has to be adorned like an enormous doll. And I am going to be there to laugh and remember that moment forever."  
  
I winced again. When Malik sought revenge, he was VERY thorough. "I pity him."  
  
"Don't, because after him, you're next," Ryouji said gravely, coming up.  
  
I jumped. "Ryouji!" My eldest brother had a talent for slipping behind people noiselessly and scaring them out of their wits (much to his wicked delight).  
  
He smiled at me and nodded to Malik. "You look wonderful."  
  
"So says you," grumbled Malik.  
  
His pale gold hair had been combed to a degree of tameness, a gold comb and ropes of pearls within his hair in the suggestion of a coronet. Instead of the usual wreath, a single sea lily was tucked behind his ear, amber and pale petals striking in his pale hair. He had wriggled out of the more formal garb that Ryouji was obliged to wear during his journey to the surface, and he wore the barest minimum of the formal, customary garb as he only wore a few bracelets and bangles of gold upon his arms, a single, thin chain about his waist, and another chain with a violet jewel about his neck, the pendent settling in the hollow of his throat.  
  
"Welcome to my world, brother," said Ryouji, grinning at him. HE, on the other hand, was only clad in his coronet and two bracelets, for on this day, the attention was upon Malik.  
  
"If this it, you can just HAVE it," growled Malik.  
  
~*~  
  
I waited for Malik once again. This time I was prepared, having retrieved his favorite foods. I shivered a little, rubbing my arms. The waters were silent today, in anticipation or in slumber. It was an eerie silence that frightened me. There was almost always the music of the currents to soothe the heart, but today, it was gone.  
  
To pass the time, I started to sing:  
  
"Tell me where you have gone, my darling,  
  
To the deep caverns of the sea?  
  
Or have you gone to find treasure,  
  
Jewels and baubles just for me?  
  
But don't leave me here to wait,  
  
Of all treasures, I want you  
  
Life is ever lonely without my love  
  
Can you say that, too?"  
  
I sighed a little, smiling to myself. Then the currents started to sing, playfully brushing past me and ruffling my hair. A voice joined them.  
  
"I have scoured the oceans,  
  
To find treasures just for you  
  
But I cannot find any  
  
That is as precious as you  
  
It has been many nights  
  
Each moment heavy as lead  
  
For without you at my side,  
  
My heart's light is dead."  
  
Malik slowly came swimming along, looking exultant. I swiftly went to meet him, to go to welcoming arms. I barely noticed people starting to wake; to come and greet him back home, for his solid presence was all that mattered in that moment.  
  
~*~  
  
I sat in rapt awe, as Malik described his journey up to the surface. The waters were filled with enormous mountains of ice, bobbing on the green surface of the water. It was chilly, unlike the comfortable coolness of the water below. The waves were restless, tossing the ice mountains to each other in rough playfulness. Malik rested on one of them, musing to himself as a wind played with his long hair. Off to the distance were human ships, white sails billowing in the biting wind. He had sung to them, guiding them away from the frozen pillars of ice. The surface was beautiful, he said, voice wistful.  
  
The sun was like a pale pearl in the sky, drifting through the gray and white of the sky like the nautilus in her pale vessel. Its light shone down, causing the ice to sparkle like enormous shards of crystal. He had sat there, in serenity and awe, gazing off at the distance. Pelicans and sea terns soared overhead, providing harsh cries in accompaniment to the violent splashing song of the waves. He had remained on his perch of ice, waiting until the pale pearl of the sun had slowly become an amber orb sinking into the narrow line of the horizon. The gray skies had softened the colors the amber ship painted the sky with. As the sun sank down, like some round, great king sinking into a magnificent bed, it left a fiery trail of colors, a tail of blue, gray, amber, orange, and pink splashing over the sky.  
  
"So, essentially, that is what happened," Malik said, brushing back his hair.  
  
"It sounds kind of- bland," Honda said, propping his chin up with his hands. "No offense meant."  
  
"None taken." However, when Honda was least expecting it, Malik cuffed him with his tail.  
  
Ryouji chuckled at the scene, easily grabbing Honda as he rose to retaliate. "It is interesting in its own way," he said casually.  
  
"A diplomatic answer as always, dear brother," Malik said, smiling at Honda with a honeyed smirk.  
  
I broke in before tensions mounted. "I think it was wonderful. It must have been beautiful up there, Malik."  
  
Malik favored me with one of his rare, warm smiles, forgetting about Honda. Then he was acquainted with the floor as Honda shoved him down.  
  
~*~  
  
"You look lovely!" I insisted to Honda.  
  
He glared at me. "I am a male. If you haven't noticed."  
  
"I don't blame him," a voice drawled from the doorway. Malik waited there, a satisfied smirk upon his face.  
  
Honda growled. I sighed a little. Then, widening my eyes to make them vulnerable and innocent, I directed my gaze at Malik. "Malik-niisan? I would like to have a private word with Honda-niisan. Is that all right?" I widened my eyes a bit further, my lower lip trembling slightly.  
  
He tried to look at me, a serious expression on his face, but he finally broke. "All right. How could I ever say no?"  
  
He ruffled my hair fondly, swimming out. I turned to Honda, who looked relieved.  
  
He had not been as silver-tongued as Malik in debating what he would be adorned with. The customary wreath of amber lilies and pearls ringed his head, somehow managing to fit over his crest of hair. He had been bedecked with gold chains, coral, and pearls, which had a somewhat overwhelming effect on him. Honda growled to himself, wincing as his tail twitched and the oysters bit him harder.  
  
"I am not meant to be an angelfish," he said darkly, sitting down and pulling off a few of the chains about his neck. He kept one however, long fingers caressing it fondly. It was like the ones my elder brothers had worn before, but the gem was a sapphire.  
  
"No one expects you to be one," I answered quietly, settling nearby. "You're Honda."  
  
He smiled at me, though it was a sad, faintly bitter expression. I was struck by the loss in his eyes. "Yuugi, you don't know how lucky you are."  
  
I was taken aback. "Why?"  
  
"You have a true place in this family. Ryouji is the oldest, he's the Heir and thus much of the attention is on him. Malik is the handsome one AND he is famed for his friendships with the rays. You're the innocent youngest brother, who everyone would die to protect, simply to hide you from the world and protect you from your own naiveté. Then there's me. Honda, the not particularly special brother, with a crest of hair that defies all laws of nature."  
  
"That isn't true!" I protested. "You have a place in this family. You keep us together. Who else would Malik pick on? Who else would Ryouji go to for help in avoiding admirers? Whom else would I go to when I need someone to help me?"  
  
He smiled slowly, taking my words to heart. "You are right Yuugi, I have been foolish to think that I was alone."  
  
I grasped his hands. "Don't ever think that you are not needed or you will always be alone. We need you as much as you need us. That's why I want you to have this." I gave him my gift.  
  
"A mirror?" He arched an eyebrow.  
  
I blushed a little, but continued my little speech. "It's to remind you that- you are the only person who can define who you are. The mirror only reflects what it is given; it is up to you to define what you give to the mirror. But you can't-or rather shouldn't-be afraid to be yourself, because that is what makes you so special and so integral to so many others and me. Could you remember that?" I looked at him hopefully.  
  
Suddenly, he embraced me, arms wrapped about me tightly. "Of course, Yuugi, of course."  
  
~*~  
  
I was not alone when I waited for Honda to return. Malik and Ryouji had decided to stay out with me, simply for the sake of being out.  
  
"He's our brother," Ryouji said simply, leaning back in his seat.  
  
"And we have every right to hail him home," Malik chimed in. One of his favorite rays, a small one he had named Hoshi, settled nearby him.  
  
I blinked a little. "You just want to tease him, don't you?" I asked innocently.  
  
Malik was caught off guard by the question. "Well- maybe," said Malik, face quickly arranging into an angelic expression.  
  
Ryouji snorted. "You mean yes, Malik."  
  
"Perhaps," he said lightly, though smirking.  
  
I shook my head, starting to hum to myself. In my mind, words started to form. The currents were quiet, like an audience waiting for a concert. A single lantern nearby cast a rosy light in the water, causing the white scales of my tail to glow pale pink.  
  
"Don't be afraid, sweet lover,  
  
to wander the seven seas,  
  
Just as long as you don't forget  
  
That you are bound to me.  
  
Meet the denizens of the deep,  
  
Admire the treasures that you find,  
  
But I will hope that you will return,  
  
If you are that kind."  
  
There was no answer and I gazed out at the waters, almost fearing the worst. Then, Honda's voice answered me.  
  
"I may wander the ocean far  
  
but I will never leave you, for  
  
my heart is yours and yours alone.  
  
So my soul will never leave yours.  
  
I have seen many things in my travels,  
  
Those things beautiful and so odd  
  
But none of them will compare to you  
  
One who is my soul."  
  
"Honda!" I yelped in happiness, pushing off to greet him.  
  
Honda had lost some of his ornaments and looked weary, but otherwise, he was all right. He smiled at me, as my other brothers came to hail him home.  
  
~*~  
  
"I was a bit of an idiot, I'm afraid," sighed Honda, gingerly setting himself down onto a chair after the oysters were removed.  
  
"When are you not?" retorted Malik, watching him from where he was lying on his stomach.  
  
Honda glared. Luckily Ryouji squashed what would have been a squabble by asking Honda about his trip.  
  
Honda, who happened to be rather bold, had not been satisfied in staying in the sea. He had traveled the softer, shallow waters of a river trickling into the ocean. The water was stranger, for there were unfamiliar creatures and plants to contend with, and he was often forced to find alternative routes when his way was blocked.  
  
But it was much warmer and though the song of the river was not as loud as that of the seas, it was as pleasant to listen to. He stopped, seeing children play in the water of the stream. They were able to swim (though not as adeptly as the merpeople) even with their stubby little legs. He watched them play for some time. But he grew careless.  
  
The sun gleamed on his jewels and gold, and a sharp watcher among the children spotted him. He was forced to make a hasty retreat, leaving behind some of his ornaments. Heart pounding in fear, he swam through the weeds of the water, taking the fastest route he could find. He lingered at the mouth of the river, taking another look at the land, and swam home as fast as he could.  
  
There was something dreamy in his tone, as he described the little children, especially one with rich red-brown hair and sparkling gray eyes. I smiled slightly.  
  
"And now it's going to be your turn," Ryouji said, looking at me.  
  
I nodded, nearly wriggling in glee. And it would be most exciting indeed!  
  
~*~  
  
Merry Christmas everyone!  
  
^^  
  
/dances about in glee/  
  
Please review!  
  
This time, candy canes and Starbucks gift cards are up for grabs! So review!!! I'm expecting about twenty or more! 


	3. A Special Gift

Wow! So many reviews! Arigatou gozaimasu! (Thank you very much!) /bustles about, handing out prizes/  
  
By the way, I have no intention of bashing Anzu/Tea. In fact, I doubt she would have a very strong part in this tale. I can't reveal too much but I can assure you, she will not be scheming to break up Yuugi and Yami. Anzu is a female character I rather like (which IS a compliment from me since I detest most female characters in anime and manga) though I rather like Isis/Ishizu and Mai when you're regarding Yu-Gi-Oh! Read some of my earlier fiction regarding Anzu/Tea. Do you see any bashing there?  
  
I thought not.  
  
~*~  
  
A Special Gift  
  
~*~  
  
"It hurts!" I gasped in pain as the oysters attached.  
  
"Shh," murmured Ryouji. "The pain eases, little brother."  
  
I still winced, tears in my eyes. Honda was bringing over a wreath; Malik adjusted my necklace. When I gazed into the mirror, I blushed at the sight.  
  
I actually looked- princely. My hair was left to rise in its wild spikes and Honda gently clasped a thin gold circlet about my brow, wrapped in amber sea lilies, each with centers of white pearls. Golden bracelets jingled at my wrists; a scarf of soft violet was wrapped about my waist. And about my neck was a delicate chain with a pendant of a curious stone, white with flecks of many colors glittering in its depths. Rishid called it an "opal."  
  
However, with this finery, I felt weighed down. The current soothed me, yet taunted me with its freedom.  
  
"Worry not, brother," said Malik, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It is for one day."  
  
I managed a smile to him. "Must duty be about pain and over rich finery?"  
  
"At times it must," answered Ryouji. "Come now. There is celebration in your honor, Yuugi. And we will present to you a very special gift. Something from all of us."  
  
My three elder brothers exchanged smiles and my curiosity was roused. However despite my efforts, they would say no more.  
  
~*~  
  
"Prince Yuugi!"  
  
"He is so adorable. Perhaps not handsome like dear Ryouji-sama or Malik- sama, but with so much more charm."  
  
"Those beautiful violet eyes and even that wild hair. so charming."  
  
"Yes, so incredibly sweet! He is such a sweetheart!"  
  
I blushed at the compliments of the court mermaids, who were eying me with interest while they squealed. Not liking it at all, I shrunk closer to Honda, who took me into his embrace to shield me and glared at the females.  
  
"Arigatou, Honda-nii-san," I murmured, huddling a bit closer.  
  
"Watch out for them, the blasted leeches," he said, grumbling. More than one of the maids had rebuffed his attempts to court them and that never truly settled in Honda's heart. I wish that he could learn to forget.  
  
Alas, but my brother could be fickle yet at the same time grudging.  
  
"There you are," came Ryouji's voice. He came, leaving lovelorn sighs and admiring glances in his wake. "Yuugi-kun, we must present our gift to you."  
  
"Will it have to be public?" asked Honda, voice gruff.  
  
Emerald eyes shot him a slightly exasperated look but my eldest brother only gestured with his hand. "Come now. It is finally ready."  
  
I looked up at Honda, whose eyes were strangely soft and almost longing yet a smile played at his lips. "Go on," he said, pushing me away gently. "We have been waiting long to give this to you."  
  
I smiled back shyly, extending my hand to him. "Then come on."  
  
Malik joined us, face oddly sober. The crowds parted for us as my two elder brothers went ahead as a front guard and Honda remained behind with me.  
  
In the center of the great hall, in the middle of an enormous mosaic design of the sun laid out in red coral, was a bundle covered in many layers of violet silk, lashed down with ropes of golden kelp. I could not tell what it held, so covered it was.  
  
Malik took his knife from his waist, raised it, and slashed the ropes with a single stroke. As the ropes fell, the currents wailed, rapidly coming in and swirling about the bundle. The sheets of silk fell away, and revealed white.  
  
A statue stood in the middle of the hall. A statue of me.  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: Sorry about the short chapter. I'm a bit busy right now, I have exams and SAT to think about, as well as volunteer work and grants. I detest this school system.  
  
I'll try to get the next chapters up as soon as I can. Thank you SO much for the reviews. It is something that every author appreciates.  
  
Heh, next prize will be FAKE DVDs and Demon Diary manga! Keep on writing them! I expect at least five more! 


	4. Night of Flame Flowers

~*~  
  
Night of Flame Flowers  
  
~*~  
  
The statue was of purest white marble, carved exquisitely. It seemed as though the boy would move in life. Hands gripped a small table in front of him as his eyes looked off into the distance, blank in stony slumber.  
  
"How could this be?" I whispered, frozen at seeing myself captured in white marble.  
  
"Look closer, little brother," said Ryouji with a soft smile.  
  
And I did. The likeness was amazing yet I could now see the subtle differences. My eyes were wide, childishly large. The statue's eyes were smaller and slanted, narrow with sober thought. Even as an adolescent, I had the roundness of a child; this boy was already grown much into the angles and leanness of an adult.  
  
And heartbreakingly, my twin had legs. The statue was of a human.  
  
"We found this in a shipwreck," explained Malik. "It is astonishing how much this human looks like you."  
  
"But with the stumps of a human rather than a fish tail," said Honda.  
  
"I am sure you will grow to be even more handsome than this one though," Ryouji murmured into my ear, with a devilish smile.  
  
I blushed, reaching to touch the marble cheek. Softly, I reached forward to kiss the stone lips. "Thank you," I whispered.  
  
My chest felt tight. Something gnawed at me deep in my belly. And the statue only gazed past me at something he could not quite see.  
  
~*~  
  
I swam away from the palace, slipping from the crowds with only a quiet farewell to each of my brothers. Now in the open ocean, without anyone chasing after me, to protect me, to capture me, I was free.  
  
And I laughed in delight.  
  
The waters were warmer now as I rose from the depths. I could see the moon, closer than ever. Her silvery light washed over me. My tail flicked and half the oysters on it opened in shock, falling to the ocean floor again. I broke the surface of the water and felt the air the world above for the first time in my life.  
  
Then, it was as though someone was choking me. I couldn't breathe; my body convulsed. It felt as though my lungs were being pushed from my throat. I retched as water poured from my mouth.  
  
My brothers had never told me of this pain that came at being at the surface. I panted, feeling the air of the surface reach my lungs. The pain slowly melted away.  
  
It vanished as I saw the beauty of the night sky. The heavens were as dark as the ocean's darkest depths, where the Leviathan slept and hunted. However, there were the beautiful lights of the stars, pinning back the overwhelming darkness. And there was the moon, a ghost silver nautilus swimming across the sky.  
  
Then I jumped in fright.  
  
There was a shriek and a horrible sound, like a rock mountain crumbling to the ground. Only much, much louder. Then the night sky exploded with anemones of scarlet and gold. I floated, enraptured by the lovely sight. There were enormous orbs of blue and green, twisting serpents of orange and white. They all dissipated into falling sparks and smoke, only to be replaced by even more wonderful beings.  
  
I saw a vessel that seemed to be launching these things of fire into the heavens and swam over to it. The waves were playful tonight, launching me forward to it. I was wary, for the ship seemed to be like a monster, looming over me. But when I touched it, it moved not to attack me. Another wave, frisky, lifted me up so I might see the deck.  
  
In the many colored lights of the creatures, I could see many men. Some were coarse, with hair all over their faces and arms that were like rocks. Some were not as coarse, with brightly colored clothing.  
  
Suddenly, an enormous dragon of golden fire rose from the ship, lighting up everything. And I saw the Prince. He was my twin, the living brother of the statue I had been given. Only he was far lovelier in life.  
  
His skin was darker than my own, almost tawny in hue. His eyes were still grave but colored ruby, the color of blood. He was dressed simply, in violet and black, yet he carried himself with grace, to the respect of all the others on the ship.  
  
He was beautiful.  
  
One of the richly dressed men spoke to him and he laughed, sending thrills down my spine. His voice was beautiful, like currents gently ringing a brass bell. I was content to watch him alone, even as more spark and fire creatures were sent up to the heavens. It was though my eyes thirsted and he was sating me.  
  
The men called him "Highness" or "Prince." But I knew those were not his names. Then, one called him "Yami."  
  
And I knew that was his name.  
  
Yami... I savored it on my tongue, saying it over and over to myself.  
  
The flame creatures stopped coming and the men went away, taking the prince into the bowels of the ship. I almost screamed for them to stop as my heart wrenched to see the prince go but I did not, for fear of revealing myself.  
  
I dropped back down into the water, content to watch the ship. However, the songs of the currents grew violent. A storm was coming.  
  
The moon and stars were covered with shrouds of gray and black. I mourned their theft. The waves grew more violent as the shrouds began to pour down water. The ship rocked, a toy for the waves to toss to each other. I thought it beautiful but over the roar of the waves I heard the timbers breaking.  
  
Sparks of white lightning crashed from the sky, along with the rolling rhythm of thunder. With a wrench, the ship broke apart, sending the men into the sea.  
  
The Prince!  
  
Immediately, I dove, feeling water return inside of me. I could breathe water again. Through the confusion of broken timbers and other men, I managed to find the prince.  
  
He was limp, having struggled hard to fight the waters that claimed him. The ocean took men, but I would not let it take this one. He was heavy as I grasped him under his arms. My tail struggled to carry both our weights. Then the currents forgave me, helping me to the surface. I choked again, feeling water stream from my mouth. The prince also choked, but his eyes did not open.  
  
Already was the storm ending as I caught my breath. The waves were laughing at me, content with feeding the ocean with more treasures. They did not mind losing one. I thanked them silently as a current rose up to drift me to land.  
  
It was dawn by the time Yami and I landed upon a beach of white sand. The sun chased away gray clouds and the black blanket, painting the sky with rose and gold. Soft white clouds veiled the coming of the hotter brother of the moon. I gazed about. The beach was at the base of enormous white cliffs. A tiny winding stair upon the white stone led to lush green forests at the top and a rose colored building. The song of birds broke the cries of gulls and the sighs of the waves breaking on shore.  
  
Yami moved not.  
  
His skin was pale and his chest moved little. I stroked his hair, so like mine. Life was fluttering in him. Even though I had reclaimed him from the sea, his spirit still was not in his body. I then sang to him softly.  
  
I sang the songs of my people to call the spirit. I sang to him of the wonders of the world, of life. I urged him to come back.  
  
After I had sung all of the songs I knew, I laid my head on his chest. The thudding of his heart was soft yet it started to grow. He convulsed once, coughing up seawater. A soft moan escaped his lips as he reached up and held the opal at my throat. He was alive! My heart sang with joy. I bent my head and softly brushed my lips against his, in a kiss. His lips tasted of salt yet were so very soft and warm.  
  
But I jumped in fright as I heard strange voices. People were descending the tiny stairs. I fled into the sea again, swimming out to the shelter of some rocks nearby. But in my haste, I forgot the gem Yami still had in his hands and wrenched free, breaking the chain the pendant hung from and leaving both chain and opal in his clenching, bloodless hand.  
  
Hiding behind the looming pieces of black stone, I watched as a human, probably female, in white bent over Yami. He looked at her, seeming to be dazed. She made a noise of exclamation.  
  
He reached up and touched her cheek with the hand that did not hold the precious opal. Her cheeks turned pink at the contact. I felt my heart wrench at seeing that. It hurt me so, like a blade in my heart.  
  
I continued to watch, as others joined. They picked him up and started for the stairs. And all that time, he only looked at the human female in white with his beautiful eyes of brilliant ruby, bemused wonder upon his handsome face.  
  
~*~  
  
My apologies, everyone, for the lateness of this chapter.  
  
This fiction may have to be on hold. I am currently going through an immense emotional crisis and my schedule is not particularly forgiving for a would-be writer. I am battling depression and severe low self-esteem at the moment, along with... personal issues. Thank you all for your encouragement in your reviews. 


	5. Trinkets of the Soul

'lo, everyone. /dismally, cradled in Adrian's arms/  
  
Thank you for all your support. It means a lot to me. /takes a deep breath/ I'm searching for professional help right now, and believe me, it's one of the hardest things I've had to do.  
  
Adrian: It's her pride.  
  
Yeah. I'm having a few personal problems erupt, including some issues with my significant other. We're both too busy... /snuggles against Adrian/  
  
I'm sorry, don't expect too many updates too quickly. I'm still busy, despite the fact I'm done with my SATs for now. I still have to study for school and eventually get my learner's permit. Thank you everyone, though, for your comments and encouraging.  
  
~*~  
  
Trinkets of the Soul  
  
~*~  
  
I soon left. The surface held none of its fascination for me any longer. It was dismal to me.  
  
Sensing my despondency, the currents murmured about me, trying to allay my depression. But my chest ached with yawning darkness. Why did it feel as though I was so cold?  
  
The palace loomed through the blue depths of the sea, spires of crystal and gold shining brightly. But not as brightly as his eyes under the light of fiery dragons and phoenixes under a dark night sky...  
  
My family was waiting for me. I could hear that their songs for me. But the words mattered not. I pushed past them, dodging their loving embraces, and fled to my room.  
  
~*~  
  
The next days went past with sullen slowness. I ate little and spoke not at all, as the days soon melted into weeks and months.  
  
The white marble statue was placed in the garden, in a spot I had designated for my own. It was in the shape of a circle, like the sun, ringed with fans of red coral. An enormous tree of red kelp grew in the center, branches drooping, like the trees I had heard of that grew on land, called weeping willows. I had my statue placed under the kelp and the red branches and leaves draped over Yami, caressing him.  
  
Every day, I would sit at the base of the statue, looking up at that handsome white face and wish that he was smiling at me.  
  
"Yuugi-kun," said Ryouji quietly, swimming up. I didn't look at him.  
  
"We're worried about you. What is wrong? What happened up there that makes you so sad?  
  
"Does it have to do with this prince?"  
  
I looked up, at his kind, concerned face, and nodded slowly. He smiled sadly. Gently, he embraced me and pressed a kiss upon my forehead. "Do not waste away the years you have here for a mortal," he said softly. "Be happy here, with us."  
  
I turned away from him and buried my face into the shoulder of the statue. My eldest brother sighed and swam away. I fell asleep where I was, protected by the kelp and embracing Yami.  
  
I was dreaming.  
  
Yami was looking at me with tenderness in his eyes. He was handsome, radiant, the most wondrous thing that the land had to offer. With a touch that could not have bruised water, he brushed hair from my face as I blushed.  
  
His free hand was holding mine. He raised it to his lips, to brush a gentle kiss across the back. Blood rushed to my face and I cast my eyes downwards.  
  
I then realized I had legs, that I no longer had my fins. I was human, and able to be with him on land! My heart soared as he smiled at me, ruby eyes glittering. His lips were upon mine, firm yet so incredibly gentle. His hands traced my body as he murmured so many loving things into my ear, ruby eyes continuing to watch me with that tender expression.  
  
Someone shook me and took me away from my dreams. I opened my eyes, about to cry out as Yami shattered into a thousand wisps of color. My brothers came into view.  
  
Malik took my hand, as I let out a sob involuntarily. He brushed my hair away from my face. "Yuugi-kun, we have something to show you."  
  
I tried to draw away but Honda firmly pushed me from my perch. "You have been lingering here too long."  
  
I sighed, resigned. They took me upwards to the surface, but a long, long way. The waters were lighter, shining silver cloth undulating above us as golden sunlight glittered. But my heart took no notice of the beauty about me.  
  
It was dark by the time we reached our destination. My brothers went to the surface. There was that awful, awful sensation as my lungs adapted accordingly. I was gratified to hear my brothers attempting to discreetly hide their retching with very little luck.  
  
After we all had somehow gained our dignities, Honda took my hand and pointed upward. We were looking up at a cliff, waves pounding against the stone. Above us, was a palace seeming to have been spun of glass and pale pearl. There were golden lights glimmering, and our sharp ears could hear music and laughter. But my heart jumped as I saw a figure looking out over at the sea. It was Yami.  
  
He was resplendent in something black and shining, moonlight softening his dark hair. His face was creased in concentration as he gazed at the horizon. Quietly, my brothers left me to observe the prince.  
  
I was so happy, to be able to see him again. Yet my heart ached in that I was so distant from him. It was a bittersweet joy.  
  
~*~  
  
"Malik, how long do we have to live?"  
  
My elder brother stared at me, lavender eyes wide and almost frightened. "Why do you wish to know this?"  
  
I was playing absently with a ball of ivory. It was a curious thing, carved with intricate patterns of holes until it looked like lacy white coral and showing even more balls inside of it, one inside the other. As I moved it, the many balls clicked and rattled.  
  
"I want to know," I said flatly. I raised my eyes to look at him. "Because you said I have centuries to live."  
  
"Three centuries," Malik said softly. "We have three centuries. Mortals rarely live to see half of one." He sat by me and touched my cheek. "Yugi- kun, we have longevity, life to enjoy the pleasures of this earth. Mortals have so little. Your prince will die and leave you to mourn him after but a few fleeting moments of life."  
  
"I would trade all my centuries to be with him," I said, quietly. "Even if I only have a few fleeting seconds."  
  
"He is a mortal, you are of the merfolk," Malik told me. His voice was rough and his eyes filled with pain. "He cannot live down here and you will not survive on the earth.  
  
"It doesn't matter!" My heart was fluttering, molten ball of pain.  
  
"And he has a soul, Yugi," Malik said softly. "Even in death you two will be parted."  
  
"What do you mean?" My heart was now ice.  
  
"Mortals have souls. That is the essence of what they are. After they die, they go to Paradise, to live in eternal happiness, and perhaps come back to earth to take mortal form again. We do not. When we die, we become sea foam on the waves, we do not even have a grave for our loved ones to visit." His eyes looked at me.  
  
"I want a soul then." Simple things like that would not deter me from my love.  
  
"A soul is just not gotten." Malik was flustered now, in sorrow and frustration.  
  
"Then how can I get one?" I demanded, eyes flashing dangerously at my elder brother.  
  
"It is not known... Yugi- brother-" He tried to touch my shoulder, embrace me.  
  
"Get out." My voice was cold.  
  
"Yugi- please-"  
  
"Get out!" I screamed.  
  
He got up, slowly, actual fear in his eyes. I hurled the ivory ball at him with all my might. He fled, and the trinket hit the wall. It shattered and the pieces slowly fell onto the ground.  
  
That intriguing little toy was broken. Shattered, like what my brother did to my dream.  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: Interesting, no?  
  
Actually, I'm starting to type up the next chapter as of this moment. So sit tight! 


	6. The Price of Love

Thank you, thank you!  
  
/blows kisses/  
  
Adrian: You. Are. Pitiful.  
  
/smack/  
  
Ken: Don't antagonize her, you idiot. /sighs/ I think she's killed off too many brain cells with those hits of hers.  
  
Aya: Hn. Not surprising. /thin smile/  
  
Aya-kun! /glompies/ This would be Aya, or Ran, Fujimiya from the anime/manga Weiss Kreuz. He's the guest muse for today.  
  
Aya: And I'm regretting this decision.  
  
Adrian: Anyone get the number of that truck? /spots Aya/ Who's the redhead?  
  
Aya, this is Adrian, my permanent muse. Adrian, this is Aya, my temporary muse.  
  
Adrian: Pleasure.  
  
Aya: Hn.  
  
/claps hands/ You two look so cute together!  
  
Aya: /death glare/  
  
Adrian: /death glare with BOTH eyes (Note: Adrian always keeps strands of his hair covering his right eye. His eye is really scary... which is the understatement of the year) /  
  
Er- right then. /scuttles off/  
  
~*~  
  
The Price of Love  
  
~*~  
  
It was a beautiful night. The sky was velvet of deepest blue, a blanket shrouding the earth. Pinpricks patterned it, revealing points of shining silver light. The moon was a thin crescent, dying as she sank slowly to her bed at the west horizon.  
  
But my eyes were on a sight more entrancing, more beautiful. Yami was perched precariously upon the cliff face, gazing off at the far horizon. He was not in finery, but rather, in simple garb. There was a brooding look upon his face.  
  
I had a whimsical, mad thought for a moment. What if he were to fall into the sea? I would save him from the depths once again and he would know me as his savior. He would look at me with those beautiful ruby eyes and let a smile play at his firm lips. And he would thank me with his wonderful melodic voice.  
  
But I shook it away. What chance would there be of his falling? I had seen him walk, nimble as the curious horned beasts that dwelt on the cliff face, on the rocks. And what chance would there be of his believing my words?  
  
"Yami... my heart is yours, but why do you hurt it so?" I whispered, and burning was in my eyes.  
  
Was death better now? Would it be a sweet darkness as I dissipated to lifeless foam, never to be seen again? Would my heart no longer ache, as I no longer existed upon the mortal plane and would never again?  
  
There was death close. A pile of broken oyster and mussel shells gleamed coldly on the rock I clung to. Some of the shards were particularly sharp. One slash, one slash across my throat...  
  
But then I looked back up, back at my beloved. Would darkness be satisfying? No, not if I would never see him again.  
  
As much as they pained me, observing him and the bittersweet happiness that followed was better than nothing at all. I let out a choked sound, unable to look any longer.  
  
I would give up my centuries to be with him. Even though he was mortal, just those few moments of a lifetime would be the happiest and most precious.  
  
Then a revelation came.  
  
The sea witch. A curious ancient who lived in the deep valleys of polyps, the sea witch granted wishes of the merfolk brave or foolish enough to brave the journey through the deadly polyps. But the magic had a price. And it was never said how much it cost.  
  
But I had to risk it. I would pay anything to be human... if only to see Yami.  
  
~*~  
  
I stole out of the palace when all was silent. Even the currents were lethargic. In my arms was a bundle containing every jewel and shining trinket I owned, to tempt the witch. With little to guide my way, I headed to the deepest depths, without looking back at the shining palace behind.  
  
The waters grew colder and darker. I could feel my heart pounding, as every instinct screamed for me to get away, flee to my bed where I belonged. But I stonily headed on, seeing green light in the chasm I swam into.  
  
As I approached, I could see that the green light was produced by softly glowing polyps, their tentacles restlessly stirring. Each had a heart of green light, of malevolence and animalistic greed. I shuddered, as I had to approach.  
  
There were remains of things that had fallen to this deep chasm and the tentacles clung to for eternity in their mindless avarice. Skulls of sailors, mortal belongings, rocks that glittered and gleamed from the poisonous light... and I shuddered when I saw the skeletal remains of a mermaid, held in the tight embrace of the polyps. Swiftly, I bound my long hair close to my skull and headed into the twisted meadow.  
  
As I continued, the polyps grew restless and tried to close in on me. Gasping in fear, I dodged as best as I could but they reached for me, their slimy arms ready to hold me down here for the rest of my existence... Then I could hear an eerie song dancing through the water, sung by a voice like grating boulders and clashing metal:  
  
"Chip, chop,  
  
Clunk, fall, drop!  
  
Everything falls in the end,  
  
To the depths without an end!  
  
How you go or how willing you are  
  
Doesn't matter as you fall far!  
  
I'm waiting here, for these fools who swim  
  
To visit me, for their foolish whim!  
  
But in the end the darkness takes  
  
All who live, as darkness makes!  
  
Light is gone so these fools came  
  
To me, not known by name,  
  
Only the Sea Witch, hag and bones.  
  
Retreat my pets, sleep on your stones!  
  
For another fool comes, to ask he will,  
  
But be wary, my dear, of the bill!"  
  
As the mad voice sang, the polyps retreated, sinking into their little homes in cracks of the rocks. Only glints of their vile green hearts shone through, seeming to watch me like many eyes.  
  
As I continued on, I saw something gleam. A crude hut had been built from enormous slabs of black and gold veined rock. In the front, stirring a pot settled over a bubbling pocket of hot water was a hunched figure, hair of silver hiding the face from view.  
  
The witch's fins were white and twisted, like the creatures that lived down here that never got to see the sunshine drifting through the water. I cautiously approached, holding my bag of treasure.  
  
"Pardon me," I started, voice cautious.  
  
Then the witch looked up and I was startled. The witch was not a wizened crone. The witch was a man.  
  
A single eye of burning mahogany, dancing with madness, stared at me, glowing upon his pale face. He could almost be handsome, except for the madness and dark magic that twisted his form. His silvery hair shrouded the right side of his face, drifting about his head like tangled seaweed.  
  
"What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack?" cried the sea witch, insanity burning in his wide eye. "I can take black pebbles down here and change them into the finest pearls a body has seen. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take the limbs of a polyp, its wretched green heart, give you locks that glow with heavenly light. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take my blood, mix it with the eyes of an eel and guts of a sea toad, and give you a draught that will slay what bonny boy dares steal your lover. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price." [1]  
  
"I-I-I want a soul!" I blurted out. "A human soul!"  
  
"So you can walk on land, no? Mingle with the humans with two strong legs in place of your fins?" With no weakness of age, the witch got up, coming over to me. His hand cupped my chin. I shivered. His skin was scaly and colder than ice. "It has a price, pretty boy."  
  
I showed him my bag. "I have jewels, trinkets of humans-"  
  
"Bah!" he spat. "I can create the finest jewels with a handful of gravel! As for trinkets, many fall down here, captured by my pets." His single eye gazed at me. "But even if you could pay me... a human soul is beyond even my power."  
  
I slumped, not even noticing the loathsome touch of the witch upon my face.. My prizes were worthless and my dream impossible. I had come for nothing. The sea witch had not finished, however.  
  
"But- you can get one, if a mortal will give it to you," the sea witch said, quietly. He tilted his head upward, eye closing. His voice was dreamlike. "If you can get a mortal to love you, to love you with all heart and soul, until he would put aside his father and mother for you, until he will have a priest put your hands together with promise of fidelity and love for all eternity, then his soul would become yours, but still his, neither stolen nor diminished. You will both live in happiness, but die mortal deaths and see Paradise, be together in an eternity of bliss that would never end, and see things that creatures of this earth will never see." He opened his eye and looked to me. [2]  
  
"Then give me legs!" I cried. "Give me legs so that I may win a soul!"  
  
"It has a cost, pretty boy, and your trinkets have no worth here! And even if you get your legs, there is another price and such pain." He smiled at me, caressing my face with his horrid hands. "Pegasus can make you a draught, pretty prince, that will give you legs as soon as you go to land and drink it at the rising of the sun. But it will pain you, oh, it will twist your beautiful face in such agony. It will seem as though a sword were thrust into your body, as your fins and tail vanish. But you will walk with such grace and the mortals will be in wonder of your beauty and dancer's gait. Yet as you walk, each step will pain you, as though you trod on broken glass and knives. And your pretty, tiny feet will bleed as your lovely eyes well up with tears."  
  
"I still want it," I said, though I was pale from what he had revealed to me.  
  
"But- the magic will not last forever," he warned me. "This mortal you love must love you in return and marry you, if you are to keep your legs. The morning after he marries another, you will turn into foam upon the sea, and be nothing more than a memory forever."  
  
Foam would be all the more gratifying, I thought. Then watching my prince bestowing his loving glance and attentions to another for even a mortal's lifetime. "What must I give you?" I whispered.  
  
The witch smiled. "I have heard you sing, my pretty prince," he said to me, his face coming closer. "You have such a lovely voice. Like the purest, softest silver, like sunlight, like the sweetest draught of all... love. I want it. You have to give me silver and I will give you broken glass." His smile widened.  
  
I blanched, backing away. "But- how will I tell him? How will he know of my love for him?"  
  
"Your loveliness, your graceful stride, your beautiful, eloquent eyes," the witch said, laughing. "Those will be enough. They would capture the heart of any down here, lovely prince, much less a mere mortal. Do you want those legs or are you a coward? Forever languishing down in the sea, longing for a man until all self, all substance is sea foam... Of course, I can make you forget. For a little price..." His lips were at my ear.  
  
"I will do it!" I yelped, fleeing from him. I trembled, watching him.  
  
He laughed. "Very well, my pretty prince!" He went to his cauldron and lifted the top. Snatching a polyp from nearby, he squeezed it, as its tentacles wiggled in futility. I turned away, sickened by the sight.  
  
The witch cackled and sang as he made the draught for me:  
  
"Oh how this little pot boils!  
  
Bubbling, bubbling, as the fire toils.  
  
My pets go in, my blood as well,  
  
Much more is in here but I cannot tell,  
  
Boil on my little pot,  
  
Make me a shining draught  
  
To give this pretty prince some legs  
  
To get the human soul for which he begs!"  
  
The pot boiled and sent sparks of white and red into the air. Its misshapen contents leapt out, a squirming worm of scarlet light. Laughing, the sea- witch cut a slash down his chest with his nails and the worm latched at his breast, hungrily drinking down the black blood the gash bled. Finally, the worm leapt away and went back into the pot, turning to red liquid that simmered angrily. My eyes watched it all, in horrified fascination.  
  
"Now, sing for me, my pretty one, I wouldn't want to have to slice off your tongue now, would I?" He looked at me, a smirk lingering on his twisted face.  
  
I faltered, hands jumping to my mouth, but closing my eyes, I began to sing, not for him, only for me:  
  
"I must leave this place,  
  
For the sake of love,  
  
My father, my brothers,  
  
I leave you for the world above.  
  
Forgive me, my beloved,  
  
We will never meet  
  
I give my voice,  
  
These notes so sweet,  
  
For a chance beyond sea foam.  
  
I give this silver voice  
  
For broken glass and blood  
  
Such a bitter choice.  
  
But I want to be happy...  
  
I only want to be happy."  
  
The sea-witch sighed happily. "Beautiful," he whispered. "So sweet and bitter."  
  
I still sang, until it felt my heart would leap from my mouth, my lungs collapse to blood and flesh. I could feel the sea witch's claws about my throat, squeezing with deceptive gentleness.  
  
It hurt. It hurt so much as my voice grew weaker and the grip grew tighter. But I sang out, I sang out one last, sweet lingering note before my voice was gone.  
  
I opened my eyes to find the sea witch offering me a bottle. The liquid inside was clearer than diamonds, brighter than stars. "Go up to the surface," he told me. "And drink the draught to its dregs before the sun rises. You must hurry." A smile curved his thin lips. "A lovely trade, my beautiful prince. I could almost wish you luck, little one, for your path will be long and bitter." His lips pressed against mine before a mighty current roughly pushed me away from him, pushing me into the forest of polyps.  
  
The creatures reached for me but when they saw the bottle I carried, they retreated. Above the roar of the water about me, I could hear the sea witch singing again,  
  
"Lovely prince, lovely prince,  
  
Another fool, who seeks that sweet  
  
Known as love, which we crave  
  
To warm that chill inside with its heat.  
  
The fools will never change,  
  
They come and go,  
  
And here I stay, the Sea Hag,  
  
Laughing at this twisted show!"  
  
I shivered as the current carried me away. The sea witch's voice still whispered in my ear, "If your sweet man chooses another, the dawn after his wedding day you will become dead ocean foam..."  
  
The current took me to the palace and with another roar, whirled away to other parts. I went to the corner of the garden I called my own. Still cradling my bottle, I plucked leaves from the red kelp. Silently, I left a leaf in my brothers' rooms, as a silent goodbye [3]. I looked at their peaceful faces one last time before leaving.  
  
Silently, I cried for the currents to help me. Dawn would come soon and I had to reach the beach below Yami's castle. And they came, aiding me in my need for speed. A wave threw me upon the sandy shore and I gasped, fearful for my precious draught.  
  
It had not broken, the shining liquid gleaming brightly in the still dark night. My fingers trembling, I opened the bottle, fumbling with the curious cork the witch had put in it. Careful not to spill a single precious drop, I looked at the sea one last time before swallowing the draught.  
  
Oh it burned me as it slid down my throat! I tried to cry out as a blade stabbed me. I was being ripped apart, the blade twisting with cruel sharpness in my abdomen. It would cut me open, leave my insides gleaming wetly upon the sand. The pain narrowed, then thrust through my tail, slicing downwards.  
  
My mouth opened in a silent scream before darkness mercifully claimed me.  
  
~*~  
  
[1] This is actually based on a line of dialogue written by Oscar Wilde, in a similar story to the Little Mermaid. Only, it was the MORTAL who wanted to join the mermaid, and he needed to get RID of his soul, not get one.  
  
[2] I based a lot of the witch's dialogue on the original tale, only, I made it sound a lot more twisted and insane. I mean, we're talking about Pegasus here. ^^;;  
  
o.o I've made him into a pedophile!  
  
[3] In the original story, the Little Mermaid takes flowers from each of her sisters' gardens and takes them up with her, as reminders. I decided a little something different.  
  
I know that this probably has no real place on this site, but since this DOES have to do with this tale, I must put this down.  
  
I mean no disrespect to ANY religion at all in the world. It is surprising, but many religions hold the same ideals or variations of universal ideals.  
  
Though they disagree, I know people of different religions who accept differences of each other and are very good friends. They laugh, they crack jokes, they help each other, they have fun and live.  
  
Hell, I'm an agnostic and one of the most supportive people in my life is a very devout Christian! By the way, someone who is an agnostic is (roughly) a person who believes that a god or higher power cannot be proved or disproved.  
  
Being an agnostic is sometimes a good thing. It lets one look at the world's religions with an objective eye. I'm not saying that everyone should be one, but I believe that agnostics are able to empathize better than most.  
  
Yet- some people believe that agnostics like myself are "evil" and will "burn in Hell." Well, not literally say that to me in my face, mind you. But I have a nasty feeling it will happen some day.  
  
I find nothing wrong with homosexuality. I have friends who are homosexual and bisexual. They are not horrible people and they are very close to me. They are not sexual predators. They are PEOPLE, human beings.  
  
But some religions out there, and some people, believe in the wrongness of homosexuality. Look at the hate crimes. Look at the battles. Look at the bigotry out there.  
  
One of my favorite arguments to use against homophobes is "If God finds nothing wrong with love, who are we to dictate what is 'right' love and 'wrong' love?" I can point out the passages in the Bible concerning the doctrines of love, despite the fact that I am an agnostic.  
  
But I am often shot down and looked down upon for my beliefs.  
  
I have gotten hate mails and attempted conversions from others who found offense in my beliefs, in what I said and wrote. Some of my earlier works got shot down by people screaming "That character isn't gay, how dare you?!"  
  
I'm glad I haven't gotten much worse than that. But still, I have to be wary.  
  
If anyone reads this story, or others with similar themes and pairings, and does so with the intent of giving me flames and near threats, you're wasting your time. You're not going to silence what I write and my voice.  
  
I've been censored and shut down for what I've written.  
  
But that will never silence what I have to say. 


	7. Foundling from the Sea

I know I was ranting last chapter and I apologize for dumping my arguments on the site. But it was something I had to address, especially when connecting to this fanfiction. I have to admit that I'm growing fond of this story and am even considering rewriting it to an original novel format.  
  
Yeah, it's going to be hard to rewrite it, especially with new characters and everything. But I'm sure this can be an intriguing novel, especially if I can dig up a decent editor for my work. The only one I know of who is available probably won't do it for me though. He's a bit of a homophobe.  
  
Thank you for all of your support and encouragement. Just wondering but is anyone out there willing to do artwork for this story? Let me know through reviews and maybe we can work things out.  
  
And don't worry, those of you who worry about a Disney turn. Pegasus will be the character the original sea witch is: only doing everything for the amusement value. He won't be stealing Yami away with the voice. And as for the ending... sore wa hitmitsu desu (It's a secret.), to quote a very annoying mazoku.  
  
Adrian: /dryly/ Which means you haven't thought of it yet.  
  
You! /pummel pummel/  
  
By the way, The Six of Hearts, the story you're wondering about is "The Fisherman and his Soul," by Oscar Wilde. And Kender, thanks for the idea and here it is!  
  
...  
  
Foundling from the Sea  
  
...  
  
I was dreaming.  
  
I was walking, floating along the beach. My tail and fins were gone, replaced by the legs of a human. I moved like the wind, like a delicate bubble hovering. But pain stabbed me, ripped through the soles of my new feet as I walked.  
  
I looked down at the sands.  
  
My way was paved out for me with sharp knives as shards of glass glittered in place of grains of sand. I cried out as my legs moved on mindlessly, as the knives bit deeper, the shards dug in.  
  
I left a trail of blood behind me as I walked down the glittering road of pain that went nowhere.  
  
I was alone in a world of glass and gray sky.  
  
...  
  
My eyes opened and I was lost in ruby red as something gently shook me.  
  
"Are you all right?" came a sonorous, familiar voice.  
  
Yami! I scrambled to get up, trying to speak. But reality crushed me as I remembered that my voice was the price for this meeting.  
  
The prince gently pushed me down with his firm hands. "Easy there, little one," he said. I looked down.  
  
I had legs! I was a human! The sand pleasantly rubbed against new flesh, a thousand new touches that jolted my mind. [1] How curious it was to be human! To have a divided tail that could support the body upon land. But other things diverted me from the new, amazing physical senses of new limbs. I looked to Yami, able to observe him awake and close.  
  
He was... unbelievable. His body moved easily, like a graceful dolphin, with all the strength of an orca. Early morning sun glistened upon his hair, its wild spikes and coloring, and his ruby red eyes glanced at me, curious. He noticed my state and I could see red dot at his cheeks and ears.  
  
Swiftly, he took off the dark cloak he wore and wrapped it about me. "Where have you come from?" he whispered, his hand touching my cheek, his ruby red eyes studying me. "You look so much like me..."  
  
Ah, how that touch was heaven! I leaned into it, my eyes closing slightly. "Can you speak, little foundling?" he continued. "Or is it that you cannot understand me?"  
  
I shook my head slowly and opened my mouth, gesturing my inability to speak. His eyes softened faintly. "You remind me of someone," he said to me. "A sea spirit perhaps... who saved me, who watched over me, and guarded me to safe waters. But- it is not possible." He shook his head, as if trying to shake away fog.  
  
My heart rose only to sink. His intuition was correct but he denied it. His hand cupped my chin.  
  
"Violet eyes, so rare," he murmured. "You are a curious, exotic being. Are you sure you are human?"  
  
I felt blood rush to my face and I tried to look away. He laughed softly, his deep voice rumbling.  
  
"So shy! Well, wherever you are from or what you are, I cannot leave you here, exposed so." He then lifted me, cradling me in his strong arms.  
  
I mouthed a yelp of surprise then felt my face grow hot as my head leaned upon Yami's firm chest. I could hear his heart thud and I moved closer, to listen better.  
  
"You are so light," he marveled. "As if your bones are hollow. Perhaps you are something not of this world. Shall I have you touch a sword and kiss a cross?" His tone was teasing.  
  
I blinked at him in confusion. Whatever did he mean by that? He studied my face. "Perhaps you do not know of such customs. Well, my little foundling from the sea, let us get you properly attired, ne?" He smiled at me and I melted at seeing that warm expression offered to me and to me alone.  
  
...  
  
Yami himself escorted me, allowing no one to take me. I flushed, trying to shrink from the curious looks of some humans as he took me into the castle through a small gate leading from the cliff stairway. He headed through a set of magnificent, imposing doors and entered an enormous chamber.  
  
The ceilings loomed high as a curious thing made of thousands of pieces of crystal glittered and shed soft light below at us. Enormous tapestries of many colors covered the walls of stone and hung from the ceiling, covered in strange designs. An enormous staircase descended from above, covered with a red and gold carpet.  
  
Many people milled about the chamber, guards with shining armor and dark violet coats, maids in gowns of pink and pale blue, men in violet tunics. There were curious glances cast my way and the buzzing of conversation quieted as all there bowed or dipped low. "Prince Yami," they murmured. I could see the curiosity in their eyes as they glanced at me through long lashes or from the corner of their vision. But they quickly looked away, as to not be impudent to royalty.  
  
Yami nodded graciously before walking on. He took me through corridors tiled with marble and covered with soft carpets. Portraits of regal humans stared down at me gravely and imperiously. The walls were of many wood panels, gleaming red-brown. Soon we were in an enormous chamber with white walls and a floor patterned with black and white.  
  
There was an enormous white basin of some sort, supported by four metal props in a corner. An enormous mirror, framed with gold, covered most of one wall. Tables were set against the wall, jars and bottles set against them.  
  
Yami gently set me down and briskly went to a crimson cord hanging down from the ceiling and pulled it. I could hear the distant chiming of a bell. The prince turned to look at me.  
  
"Are you afraid?" he asked, gently.  
  
I shook my head. But I was lying. To hide my eyes, I turned to the single window in the room, at the sky outside and seabirds wheeling.  
  
"But I think it would," he continued, voice still gentle. "Are you from some foreign land, voiceless one?" I could hear him walking toward me then kneel before me. He gently turned my face to look at him. "I believe you understand my words. But you have no voice to tell me what I wish to know... How did you come to that beach? Where are you from?"  
  
His touch upon my face, his voice so tender... I thought my heart would burst. Then the door opened. Servants came in. They bore buckets of water to fill the enormous white basin with. Once done, they filed out, only to come back with more water. Soon the basin had steam rising faintly from it. Yami dismissed the servants soon after and they left silently.  
  
He gently parted the cloak from me and I flushed. But I knew it was necessary. The cloth fell in folds onto the ground as he lifted me and carried me to the basin. Gently, he set me in the warm water.  
  
It was pleasant, immersed in warmth and sweet-smelling steam. Yami rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He deftly opened a bottle, pouring out sweet- smelling oil, which he applied to my hair.  
  
"Your hair is very similar to mine," he told me, voicing his thoughts aloud for my benefit. "I suppose it would require the same cleansing as mine does."  
  
I smiled at him shyly, nodding. He laughed aloud, strong hands massaging the oil into my hair and into my scalp. I sighed happily, leaning back and closing my eyes. It was incredibly soothing.  
  
Soon the heaven had to end however and he gently roused me from the half slumber I had been in so I could rinse the oil from my hair. I flushed, ducking under the water to get the sweet substance out. He watched me as I sat up.  
  
"You are indeed a nymph," he murmured with admiration. "An undine of the sea..."  
  
I flushed, ducking my head and feeling water drip from my dampened hair. "But a shy one," Yami teased. He got up, heading over to a cabinet and opening it. Taking out a long strip of cloth, he came back.  
  
"I believe you have spent enough time in the water, my nymph," he said.  
  
Still flushed, I slowly rose and he helped me from the enormous basin. Pain stabbed up the soles of my feat. I was reminded sharply of the second price of my new limbs, tears leaping unbidden to my eyes.  
  
Gasping silently with pain, I stumbled out of the white bowl and Yami caught me. Concern was in his eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly. I nodded, catching my breath from the pain.  
  
Then tenderly, he dried me with the cloth. It was soft and curiously textured, as my flesh tingled after each gentle touch and pat. Leaving me wrapped in the cloth, he pulled the bellrope again.  
  
Servants came again and I shrunk into my garment. A group of maids pulled me away and I looked to Yami, fear in my eyes.  
  
"It is all right, just follow them," he soothed. I nodded and let them take me away.  
  
Pain stabbed my feet as I followed them, my steps light and floating. I trod a path of blades and glass once again, but unlike my dream, this path was invisible to all eyes. Tears still welled up in my eyes but I bit my lip, trying to forget the pain.  
  
The maids chattered and stared but I didn't listen, so intent was I on enduring this stabbing pain in my feet. It was after a century of agony we finally stopped. The maids stripped the towel from me and I flushed, realizing my nakedness in front of them and I moved to cover myself.  
  
They giggled but swiftly dressed me. Silken undergarments, a soft shirt of white, the long tubes of cloth that human men wore of black cloth, and a curious garment of purple cloth that had no sleeves but fastened with buttons of pearl. They combed my hair and dried it and drew strange things of white cloth over my hands. My feet were shod in tubes of thin white cloth and shoes of supple, thick black cloth.  
  
I turned, only to see my reflection in a long mirror, as a maid slipped a fine silver chain about my neck. The new garments were not uncomfortable, just- disorientating. I touched my reflection in wonder. Was this truly I? A human with real legs instead of a fish's tail?  
  
For a moment, my heart panged, remembering the life I had left. Father, Ryuuji, Malik, Honda... they were still there, in the ocean. And I would never be with them again.  
  
...  
  
[1] I had to think about this part. Well, along with the legs, you do have to get some other parts of the anatomy... ahem. But I'm going to keep this relatively clean. /flinches at the chorus of "Yeah right! And what do you call the part with Pegasus?!"/  
  
Man, this story has gotten so much attention. I started writing this on a whim, never thinking it would go far. It was for my own amusement, really. This story saw me through some tough times though. Breakdowns, broken friendships, new friendships, turmoil at school and home. And it's becoming something very fond to me. 


	8. Dancing Doves

/swamped by reviews/ Whoa, this is incredible. With just seven chapters, this story has outstripped my other fic, Incubi! Thank you everyone.

And now, for some author to reader comments/answers/compliments/complaints/etc.:

Kitty Neko: No, he isn't dead. Blackness doesn't count as death. Besides, that would have meant Pegasus broke his word, which he can't, technically. And that would also mean no more story, which is far from the truth.

Yugi-obsessed: Did you read the sixth chapter, dear? If you have managed to read through the sea witch's spiel to Yugi about the prices that come with the mortal legs, you would have known that the witch warned Yugi that whenever he walked, it would feel as though he were stepping on glass. And yes, he will be in pain even with shoes.

Fairren: That's an interesting question. I'm not quite sure of it but he's probably rather short for a male, even with legs. He has to be in proportion with his human half after all.

Raefangirl: /rubs back of head/ You are too kind. My mum wants me to start publishing but the only complete stories that I really have are fanfics and I can't publish those. Damn American copyright laws.

Sarcastic Pessimist: That is disturbing indeed... I am a member of ethnic minorities in the U.S. and though I haven't gotten outright hatred, people, on the basis of my eyes and skin, have rebuffed me. And being an agnostic isn't always the best. You can be a Catholic or a Christian and have tolerance, that's the main part of my being an agnostic. Tolerance is the key. Though being an agnostic is not particularly safe, especially at my school, where Christians are so plentiful there is a Christian Club. Needless to say, I have no real fondness for some Christians. Mind you, it's not directed to ALL, only to a specific few.

Angel Reaper: Well, there is no definite time. Unlike the Disney version, the sea witch gives no definite time limit, only the warning that if the prince marries another, Yuugi will turn to foam upon the morning after the wedding.

Koishii no Tenshi: Really? I haven't seen such stories then... Maybe I should try searching for them.

Little Atemu: Nope. Not likely. Read the official story by Hans Christian Anderson. The witch was a strictly neutral party in the story. Disney just found her a convenient villain. Pegasus-chan is just an insane, perverse witch in this story. Yup.

...

Dancing Doves

...

I found myself at the Prince's side after the maids had dressed me entering an enormous room with vaulted ceilings. The floor was of smoothly polished white marble veined with black and gold, laid by rugs of rich scarlet and blue-violet. The walls were covered in tapestries of battles, of fantastic beasts, of lovers and families, glittering with gold, silver, and gems upon their rough surfaces.

There were courtiers about, whispering in pairs or small groups. They were dressed in all manner of garments, from the very simple to the most bewildering combinations of color and styles. I could feel their eyes upon me from behind feathered fans and long bangs and looked away from them, staying close to Yami.

As I walked, I could feel the invisible blades of knives stabbing at my feet and it was all I could do to not sag to the ground and cry. But I could not; I would not disgrace myself as a prince, nor disgrace Yami as his guest.

Yami took a seat upon a vaulted throne of dark wood cushioned with violet velvet. A wave of the hand ensured a chair for myself as well by the throne-like chair. I gingerly seated myself and set my hands upon my lap. The courtiers settled about upon couches and seats about the room. Servants whisked in, offering silver trays with goblets of many colored liquids and plates of curious foods.

Bewildered, I did not know where to start. Yami noticed my confusion and chuckled warmly in his deep voice. He took two glasses of a curious violet liquid and offered one to me. I tentatively raised it to him before sipping. He gravely mirrored my actions.

The drink was pleasantly cool, tasting sweet and bitter at the same time. As it slipped down my throat, it started soft warmth in my stomach that blossomed. It was a very pleasant feeling.

Yami fed me from his own hand, telling me from time to time what he was feeding me. In nearly any other case, it would have been most embarrassing, as I was nearly sixteen and far from a child. However, as it was Yami feeding me, it was nothing more than one of the greatest pleasures of the world.

"This is called the miser's purse [1]," he told me, feeding me a curious golden ball. It actually consisted of layers. The outer was of some flaky, almost tasteless material and the inner layers were of some soft, melted yellow substance that tasted faintly salty and curiously tangy [2] and bits of green that added the tang to the yellow.

I was fed vegetables and fruits of many colors and tastes. Some were sweet, some bitter, some curious and indescribable in taste. Yami chose out sweets for me in particular. I soon grew very fond of a soft brown confection he called "chocolate."

The glass given to me was refilled until I raised my hand for the servant to stop. It gave me a pleasantly warm sensation in my body, even numbing the pain of my feet for a while, but it was making me feel a touch light headed.

Soon however, as the servants made their last rounds of silver trays, came in entertainers. A noble separated from the others and seated himself at a curious black piece of furniture. He lifted a panel, revealing a long line of long pieces of black and white. The black ones were smaller than the white ones, settled in between white keys [3].

The curious noble was much different from the rest. He wore garments of subdued colors, gray, pale blue, and white making him a forlorn figure among the other brightly clad courtiers. His hair was white as snow yet his face was youthful. Though he wore a polite smile, I thought I could see an air of melancholy about him, especially in his dark brown eyes. Those eyes flickered, hiding a great secret in their depths, something that unsettled me.

He looked to Yami, who nodded graciously. Then the noble raised his hands above the white and black and started to press them. The most beautiful of sounds came from them, an enchanting melody. I leaned forward, curious of this mysterious object that created music.

"He is Lord Ryou Bakura," Yami said to me softly. "He is the palace music teacher and tutor. Perhaps he can teach you, as you seem to have a great fondness for music."

I nodded, enraptured by the music. It sang high and low, in a voice that was unlike anything I had heard before. The voice of the instrument sung in chords and single notes, as the pale, delicate hands of the noble danced across the white and black keys.

A troupe of girls was coming in from a doorway. They were dressed in almost tawdry garments, in suggestion of beasts of land and sea and air. One girl gowned in brown and soft gray started to sing with the music.

Her voice was lovely, true, but I knew so many who were better. Her song was of curious things, of woodland pines and lost lovers. What was a nightingale? What was a hart?

One by one, the girls sang, each voice lovelier than the last. Finally, the youngest and smallest stepped forward. She was in silver that flashed and glittered like the scales of a fish. Her voice was the loveliest of all and all leaned forward as to hear her better. Yami was smiling at her as she sang of a Maria in a fluid language that I could not understand.

I knew I could sing better than her. I knew my voice was far lovelier. But even as I instinctively opened my mouth, I realized I was no rival to this girl. I had no voice to use.

The pain in my heart in realizing that hurt more than each step I had taken upon land.

I had given up my voice, one of my most prized possessions, a part of my soul, and now I felt the emptiness. Was this truly worth it?

The prince looked at me with soft ruby eyes and the emptiness vanished, as I knew that being with him was worth my voice a thousand times over.

As the last note was sung, the company of nobles clapped and the girls curtseyed to the prince before taking new places. Others joined the musician; a tall man carrying drums, a lean girl holding a flute, an old man tuning a lovely harp, a young man holding a curious stringed instrument with a long stick of wood strung with strings [4].

They started a new song, and the pounding of drums now set the beat for a dance. The singers started to dance, graceful as the wind, as water, with all the grace of birds in the air, and fish in the sea. The music sang, not soft and delicate, but happy and joyous, water stirring at the first warmth of spring.

It bubbled happily from the mountains, sweeping into the sea and bringing a new song of life and rebirth. All the nobles about were smiling, tapping their feet to the music, the occasional one perhaps dancing to it as well with others.

I then realized Yami had risen and offered his hand, eyes soft and amused. "A dance, my foundling?" he asked.

I looked up at him and nodded before rising. My feet sent slivers of pain up my leg but I ignored them. He led me to the common ground where nobles and performers were, and we danced.

I was acutely aware of how warm his hands were, how they held me so. He was quite graceful as well, but I felt lighter than air, my steps delicately treading the marble floor.

I danced for him only, barely noticing the admiring glances of courtiers. My feet were surely bleeding from the pain they gave me, but it mattered not. All that mattered were Yami's warm hands and his soft chuckles and his beautiful ruby eyes.

And the music, washing all about us like the currents of the sea, laughing and burbling.

...

The hour was late when I was finally escorted to a room. Yami delicately kissed my forehead before taking his absence. My heart panged to see him gone, that warmth deep in my heart vanishing.

But he smiled as he left, telling me that he would be back in the morning and we would start a new day.

Then I turned my attentions to my new room. It was softly lit with candles in glass globes the maid lit before bustling about. She turned down the blankets and sheets for me upon an enormous bed of dark wood while I waited awkwardly.

The walls were covered in blue, with whirling designs of flowers and leaves. I touched them, my fingers feeling the slick material. The ground was covered in plush cloth, black and white tracing intricate designs upon ground of dark blue. It was pleasant and slightly springy under my new feet.

There was a desk and a matching chair, both made of the same wood as my bed. I touched at it delicately, opening some of the drawers to find curious utensils. The wood was slippery under my curious fingers.

In wonder, I went to the window, hung with blue curtains, from where I could see the sea. Touching the cool glass, I let my eyes close, hearing the breeze sing to me. But... it was faint and I had to strain to hear its song.

The maid touched my shoulder and I jumped, turning to look at her. She was a pretty, delicate creature, who smiled at me with the brightest gray eyes I had ever seen. They narrowed slightly, squinting. It was then I realized that she was steadily going blind.

"Time to bed, young master," she said cheerfully, taking no notice of my stare.

I was lost in thought as she helped me undress and clad me in a long gown of soft white. When we were done, I smiled my thanks to her and she smiled back.

"I'll be back in the morning, young master, and my name is Shizuka," she told me, helping me into the bed. I shifted under the layers of cloth as she put out the lights except for one and quietly exited.

It seemed as though I had barely gotten into the bed, tucked between its white sheets and blue comforter, when my eyes closed and I fell into a world of dreams.

...

I was facing the sea witch. He was in human form however, clad in a garish suit of bright red. In his hand was a glass of wine, from which he sipped every so often.

"Finding the human world to your liking, my pretty prince?" he asked, not unkindly.

"Yes," I said, before realizing that I had just spoken.

"This is the realm of dreams, pretty one," he said, answering my question. "You are not limited by the physical world."

He smirked at me as I shifted and realized that my feet no longer hurt.

"Why do you haunt me then?" I demanded of him, glaring.

The witch looked offended and hurt. "I must make sure of your safety, you realize," he said. "After all, your brothers and father are worried for you."

I realized then how worried they must be. My dream legs would not hold me and I fell to my knees.

"Now, we can't have that," the witch said reproachfully. A chair came into existence just behind me. "Sit down, love."

Numbly, I managed to sit down, as the witch offered another glass of his drink.

"You've met them?" I whispered. My fingers dazedly took the glass.

"Not yet, but I suspect that they will come, my dear Yuugi." His delicately clawed finger circled the rim of his glass. "They will force me on pain of death to reveal what I have done. Then they will try to get me to undo the magic. Which I cannot do. Not without your consent." His red eyes glanced at me, half-lidded.

"They will come to you, dear prince, and sing to you, sing of the songs of the sea and try to lure you back, get you to yearn for the sea and plead them to bring me to you so that I will change you back. But will you do that? Two spells of such magnitude upon one merman can be devastating."

"No! I love him," I cried. "And this world... it is beyond what I had thought."

The witch laughed harshly. "You see this only from the prince's gilded palace, my pretty one! Wait until you see the ugly natures of humans, their fickle ways, their lusty appetites, their spite to fellow man! Wait until you see poverty, children naked in the streets dying every day, and sickness, women and men in filthy rooms coughing up their life blood!"

I recoiled as his words struck, my mind unwillingly producing those ugly images. "But- I love him," I whispered. "I may be selfish, but- I love him, even in this ugly land."

He looked to me, sipping at his wine. "Ah, you are struck by that curse that takes so many each generation. You are young and foolish, seeking that you cannot have. Very well, let us see this farce to its end. And we will see who is right."

He then kissed my lips and I could taste the bitterness of sea brine and the heady sweetness of his wine. I pushed him away, glaring at him.

The sea witch only smirked at me, before lifting his glass in a toast.

And all faded to black.

...

[1] This is actually a dish, puff pastry wrapped about minced meat and herbs in the shape of a bag.

[2] /sighs/ My attempt at describing the taste of cheese.

[3] /grins/ Just in case you guys don't realize what this is, it's a piano, or rather, a harpsichord or a spinet, if we're going by more historical versions.

[4] A futile description of a violin, from the point of view of a boy who really has never seen one.

Well... this is quite impressive. But seriously people, I need some good, solid, constructive criticism. Are the descriptions too maudlin? Is the characterization incorrect? Let me know. I don't write just for myself, you know. I also write for others. What's the point of writing if people can't enjoy it?

Then again, ego stroking is just fine! /grins a thousand watt smile/


	9. From Swan's Flight

Oh my, I've actually passed the 100 mark. /cheers/ Yes, sadly enough, I am celebrating this blessed event. Why? Because I am a simple, little author with probably no great skill or imagination. I mean, someone in the fanfic community once told me, "You're not great until you've passed the five-hundred mark on your stories consistently." That dashed my hopes. /sighs/

I bet he meant well but still… /ego crushed/

* * *

Chapter Eight: From Swan's Flight

* * *

My eyes slowly flickered open as I saw Shizuka bustling about the room. She was nimble and graceful on her feet, her hair glowing red-brown in the dim light. I had no trouble imagining her under the sea, a lovely, lithe mermaid who Ryouji and Honda especially would chase after and seek. That sweet voice and innocently empty gray eyes would captivate anyone down there. She had an air about here that was very ethereal, not quite solid in the world, and reminded me of the ocean, both present and ghostly.

"Good morning, young master," she said cheerfully, opening the windows and letting golden light wash over her in a veil of bright yellow. "I hope you've slept well."

I nodded, managing to sit up within my enormous bed. How curious it was to feel silk smoothly over my new legs, soothing me as my feet faintly ached from my exertions of the night before.

She came over, holding a tray. "I took the liberty of bringing you breakfast. Most of the nobles here don't bother to go to the dining hall for the morning meal."

I nodded again as she gently set the tray over my lap. It had delicate little legs, like a table, to raise the tray above my legs, filled with plates and silverware, fragrant steam rising from a china vessel. I stared at the colorful array of food, tentatively picking at it.

Shizuka saw my difficulty and giggled. "You must certainly come from a strange place. This is how you do it." She held my hand and put one of the silver utensils in it, wrapping my fingers about it.

She taught me how to eat, naming the foods for me. Porridge in particular was disgusting and tasteless, despite the "cream" and "sugar" she heaped into it upon seeing my grimace, along with honey and bits of colorful fruits. I liked toast though, spread liberally with butter and jams. She giggled when I dug in enthusiastically, or rather, too enthusiastically, getting jam smeared all over my nose, patting my face clean with a soft napkin. I only wrinkled my nose at her, making her giggle even louder.

Shizuka helped me get dressed after breakfast, in a costume similar to what the maids had put me in the night before. She ran a brush through my hair. "There! You look fit for the prince!" she said, clapping with a laugh.

I smiled back at her and she curtseyed, giggling merrily. The door slowly opened. Shizuka turned and swiftly dipped in a deeper curtsey. "Your highness," she murmured.

Yami slowly walked in, nodding to her with all the grace and nobility of a well-taught royal, neither haughty nor meek, but gracious and sincerely thankful. It was another reason to love him.

He studied me intently. "I trust you had a pleasant night?" he asked, making me shiver at the rumble of his voice. I nodded and swiftly bowed in time, realizing my manners.

He only laughed softly. "No need for such formality, little foundling of the sea," he said.

I flushed, about to protest voicelessly. He offered his arm. "Come. Let me show you about the castle. I trust you have also had breakfast?"

I nodded once again, taking his arm. He nodded politely to Shizuka, who curtseyed once again. "Good day, highness," she murmured.

"Shizuka has been treating you well, I hope?" Yami asked, once he had led me out of the room. I nodded, trying to convey my sincerity through my eyes and hide the sharp pain of walking from him.

Yami smiled. "That is good. Her elder brother is one of my most trusted guards; it is hard to find those more loyal than the children of House Jounouchi."

This morning, not many courtiers were up, probably off still slumbering in their chambers, resting from the festivities of the night before. How unlike the sea, where the palaces were almost always alive with song and light, save in the darkest times just before the sun's rays gently danced through the crystal waters, when the Court rested briefly, savoring silence that made music and life all the sweeter when they returned. I felt a brief burst of pain in remembering, a pain in my heart that lingered and faded slowly, still staying in my heart like warmth that still stayed in the higher waters after the sun went down.

Yami showed me about the castle, exploring the nobility's quarters peppered with ancient family crests and tapestries, the guest quarters with royal colors and insignias (I was housed in the finer rooms, of all honors), the bathing rooms with their marble tiles and porcelain pools, the stillroom and kitchens with slumbering cooks and chambermaids, the libraries with piles upon piles of leather books and heavy ironwood desks and chairs and the small drawing rooms used to hold classes in dancing and music with airy ceilings and elegant little chairs. Flowers bloomed in many of the rooms, sweet yellow and white puffs of slender petals in delicate spun blue glass vases and papery red and white bells drooping over urns of heavy green glazed pottery, with humble wild flowers, tiny and almost garish, as profuse as the elegantly cultured rose and lily in the castle. Elegant brass lamps, looking like gold, held plump white tapers, some unlit, some fiery, letting off trails of that heavy, honey smell of beeswax, were at the walls, illuminating rooms and hallways with glass globes like glowing bubbles of yellow and orange.

For a while, we walked in silence, slipping through the palace like spirits, impishly sneaking past, like we were still children, naughty in getting out of bed in the wee hours to wander about in a world untouched by provincial things, where sleep still had its crown over others, and the world began, unnoticed by those who did not know of these things. But then music started, gentle melodies, from the cheerful whistling of a passing servant to something more elegant, more classical. The little songs of the day were gently nudged aside for a greater tune and symphony, something that caught the ear in its glorious beauty, so much different from the more provincial, humble songs of the day. This was a song for castles and royals, grand and elegant and beyond the simple staples. I tilted my head, enraptured by that sweet, lingering sound.

Yami soon lingered before a door where these sweet melodies came before softly opening it. Inside was a pleasant room in pearl gray and white and black. An enormous instrument was within the center and a white-haired man played, pouring symphonies upon symphonies of the most beautiful song, each note perfect. I recognized it, though it was a different form, as the instrument Lord Ryou had played the night before. The keys were the very same, the sounds similar in tone, but richer, fuller. Windows upon one side let daylight in, illuminating the shadows of chairs and instruments of wood and metal carefully set aside. The prince closed the door softly behind us. I could only stare, enraptured by that beautiful song, sweet and unsullied, genuine and emotional.

But it was so sad. Each song ripped into me like a scythe of purest silver, like the claws of a dying swan. Each note did not sing pure joy but sorrow and mystery. I could feel tears rising in my eyes as I listened, hearing a thousand tragedies within the sweet sadness. It was only until the musician pounded on the keys of the instrument, pale hands dancing in a frenzy across ivory and ebony bars, spelling out some great and terrible finale that ended in a chord that was both discordant and beautiful, horrifyingly abrupt, and ended that chain of a thousand pains and sins, and looked at us, did I realize he was the shadowed man from the night before, the musician who had coaxed such beautiful music from that strange, intricate instrument for the enslaved singers.

"Your highness," he said, standing up immediately to bow.

"Worry not, Lord Bakura," Yami said, raising a hand. "I apologize for interrupting."

The man blushed a little in the shadows, stray strands of white hair straggling from his neat tail and falling into his pale, effeminate face and dark brown eyes. "Just my morning practice, my lord," he said softly, his voice whispery and girlish, as of a soprano's as of yet unbroken.

I lifted my hand to my eyes and could feel moisture. Feeling a little embarrassed, I rubbed at them with the cuff of my sleeve. Yami noticed it and smiled softly at me.

"It seems my friend is not left unaffected by your music, my friend," Yami said.

Lord Bakura blushed deeper. He came over, offering his handkerchief. "It is a rare one who can put so much into listening to music," he said, offering it to me with a bow.

I took it back and smiled at him, mouthing my thanks as I dabbed at my eyes and rubbed at my suddenly blazing cheeks. He smiled back, shyly. Not only was his voice and face effeminate, I realized, but his affectations. It was perhaps in the way he carried himself, the way his hands nervously played with the lace upon his shirt cuffs and the ends of his hair, his habit of blushing prettily and jumping at nearly every loud sound.

He did not seem one for fashion and grand things, though his clothing was certainly of good make. A high collared frock coat of soft cream trimmed with piping of black, vest of faded blue-gray, shirt of white with only the minimum of lace and folds, and breeches of a similar blue gray as his vest. The clothing had a tendency to hang on his frail frame, despite being made for him, making his startlingly small body all the more striking.

He looked at me. "Perhaps you can come to me for music lessons? You seem to have a good ear." He touched my hand, too boldly, pulling it to him and examining my fingers. "Beautiful bone structure, though you are a little small…" Then he blushed quickly and dropped my hand. "Excuse my impudence."

"Fear not, my friend," Yami said. "I'm sure our friend does not mind." He looked at me, though did not impose.

I looked at Bakura and smiled reassuringly. This man intrigued me and stirred something like pity. What had happened to this shy, pretty man who played so sweetly but so sadly? I nodded to the piano and nodded again.

He stared at me then realized what I was trying to communicate. "Ah! You will? Splendid!"

"If you can also teach him to read and write, Ryou?" Yami asked. "That is, if you cannot…" He looked at me.

I blushed and shook my head. Then my heart leapt. If I could write, I could write my declaration of love for him! It was that simple. My eagerness must have shown in my face because Yami chuckled. "He will be a very avid student, my friend."

Ryou smiled. "I will not have to worry about the rod," he said, in uncharacteristic teasing. "He is quiet."

"Try to speak up, though, my good friend, when you're with him, or the flies will be the loudest in the room!" Yami teased, and both the musician and I blushed in midst of his laughter.

* * *

In a brief respite after the chat with the music instructor, the prince took me before an enormous window looking over the ocean. My heart leapt into my throat at the view, at looking out to a seemingly endless horizon of blue sea touched with the gold of the sun. I felt dizzy in that moment, utterly exhilarated and feeling like I was flying through the air with my feet still planted on the carpeted ground.

Yami carefully moved to my side. "It seems you are truly enamored of the sea, child."

I only smiled at him. He didn't know how much the sea was part of me. The ocean's song reached me from here, reminding me I was never alone. How foolish I had been to think that it had abandoned me!

Something warm was in my heart now, banishing the pain of everything else, leaving me dizzy and utterly light. It took a moment for me to realize that I was _happy_.

Not satisfied, not amused. _Happy,_ in all sense of the word. I smiled and laughed silently, here over the sea like a swan, with the one I loved most right by me.

It was the happiest day of my life.

* * *

Mail bag! Though why they're here and not up on the top… Don't ask.

**_Master Elora Dannan_**: I'm glad I captured you with that tagline. It was a risk but it was worth it! Just so there's no spoilers I can safely reveal that the girl who found the prince was NOT Anzu/Téa. By the way, in the original tale, that girl doesn't end up with the prince, because she's technically a nun.

**_Strega_**: Wow, you've taken it to a new level. It was all subconscious on my part, I swear. But Yuugi is that type of person, to be selfless and to be utterly devoted to the person he loves because he does have the innocence in him.

**_Anime Crazed_**: Pegasus is nutty. Period. He plays a different role here though. I think I like him this way. He's actually quite deep if you think about it.

**_Uadzet_**: Sorry, love, I can't do that. I have enough on my plate to do personal service. All you have to do is use Story Alert.

**_xamosy_**: It _is_ the original fairy tale, to an extent. And I can't tell you the ending. You'll have the fret about it on your own. –evil smile-

**_Omega Scorpio_**: You might want to reread that chapter then. Pegasus the witch warned Yugi of the double price. The pain in the "gift" and the "payment." Hint: Yugi didn't even have legs until he fell unconscious on the beach after drinking the potion.

**_Carmen-Nemrac, zodiacalsign, Mikomi Rae, lola, SoulDreamer, Magician's Guardian24_**: Thanks for the reviews, They're appreciated!


	10. The Gates of Sleep

Chapter Nine: The Gates of Sleep

* * *

By the time that day was over, I was exhausted but far from displeased. Shizuka tucked me into my silken sheets tenderly and brought me a cup of something sweet and hot.

"You're looking a mite feverish," she said, touching a cool, soft hand at my forehead. "So you should be getting some sleep soon…" I nodded and obediently drinking the contents of the mug.

It trickled down my throat and pooled in my belly, sending warmth throughout my body almost immediately. My fingers immediately went lax and I could feel her gently take the vessel from them as my head lolled back. I realized dimly that there were figures painted above my head, dark pictures with startlingly white faces and hands, like the pale cups of flowers blooming in a dark field or stars pinpricking the velvet heavens, with the dull gleam of gold and the glow of scarlet tracing through in thick swathes over me.

My eyes fixed upon the largest one, a sad man in heavy, olden style, face squared but handsome, his hand lifted as if in benediction, as his hair spread across the painted heavens of the bed in a flowing cloak. His painted, sorrowful eyes stared into me, pits of soft velvet darkness, never ending in their shadowed night. My own eyes fluttered closed and I imagined the man descending upon me to lay his hands across my face, leaving the scent of something sweet and the sensation of soft papery petals trailing across my face, as I heard the fluttering of wings…

* * *

My eyes opened again and the man was gone. My canopy was but a dark collection of indistinct figures of lighter black and shadowed grays against the midnight material. All at once I knew I dreamed yet every detail was clear, from the whispers of the silk sheets against my legs to the illuminated figure of the spindly-legged little receiving table by the brass knobbed door. Something was calling to me, words indistinguishable. Slowly, I sat up, feeling the velvet coverlet pooling in my lap as my fingers mindlessly traced over the gold stitching tracing out the indistinct figures of birds and flowers.

I looked around, searching for that source of sound, something that sung in me and made my heart ache. It was familiar, heartbreakingly so. My legs swung over the edge of the bed; I dared to go out into the chill. The first steps of my feet stung but dully. My head turned to the window and I padded there.

The moon was full tonight, crisp and enormous in the heavens. I put my hands on the cold glass of the windowpane and felt the chill pass into my flesh to my bones. The white pearl in the sky gazed at me with a black face, washing me over with silvery beams that held no warmth. My hands turned white-silver, the world shadowed and whitened, as I gazed out at the flickering pale trail the spherical lantern left upon the slowly swaying waves. The surf frothed white like lace upon a duchess's gown at the base of the cliffs, waves hurling like desperate lovers upon the unyielding rock. But something was down there; something was not right with how the waves danced below, a song echoing above the roar and sigh of the sea.

I do not know what happened as my feet padded away and the surroundings lightened and darkened. One hand reached to the side, feeling the wood panels of the palace and occasionally the cool molded metal of a frame. But soon the slick silken wood vanished and my bare feet no longer felt the jarring dual sensation of soothing soft carpet and stabbing knives.

The sea air was cold, knocking into me with its brisk saltiness and I near reeled from the sensation. I was no longer so protected from the chill anymore, this human form so much frailer out of the water. It was as I walked along the carven steps on the side of the cliff, going down to the water itself, I could hear the singing, no longer muted as if in a dream, but audible.

"Oh darling, my darling,

Wherefore have you left?

What treasures have lured you away,

Leaving me bereft?

None would tell us where you gone,

Leaving us in night's black hour,

Until we came here, desperate,

Away from our watered bower.

Why have you left us?

Why have you gone away?

Please come back, my darling,

To our happy days, our days of child's play!"

I put one hand on the damp stone, supporting myself as the wind pulled at me and sent me swaying. There, in the dancing waves beneath the moonlight, were my brothers. They were crying, the dampness on their faces not the spray and splash of the sea, but tears that even then, crystallized and became pearl drops that sank into the black and white waves to be forever lost except for those creatures of the sea and the arms of the ever-moving ocean. The moon and the darkness were kind to them, making weeping into an act graceful in the shadows, even beautiful.

"Yuugi!" Malik called out. "Please come back!" His hair was every which way, tangled like the locks of the sea witch, casting shadows over his handsome, distressed face.

"What have you done?" Honda cried in a voice harsh with despair. "You are of the sea, not a son of Adam!" His eyes were deep in that chiseled face, gray pinpoints of stormy anguish.

But Ryuuji was silent. His hair was slick, untied and pooling about him in a sheet of saturated black silk, vanishing into the water, and he went without his coronet. His face was dark, all shadows and angles now and his eyes held an emotion deeper than anguish and darker than despair. He only wept, without a sound or movement, except when his long lashed eyes blinked the slowly hardening pearl drops away to scatter those precious gems into the ocean without any further thought.

I was caught in his emerald eyes, blackened with despair, and my heart ached. My knees shook and I fell, crumbling into a ball in the steps. What _had_ I done? That image of his face, utterly blank yet utterly twisted with torment, burned into my mind and haunted me. It accused me without voice endlessly until I lifted my head to look at them.

I smiled wanly and opened my mouth, pointing to my throat. Malik and Honda cried out in shock and dismay. Ryuuji looked like I had just taken a blade and put it through his heart.

My brothers came closer and beckoned me to them. I could not resist them this time, pulling myself to them. My slippers had fallen off sometime in my journey down here and my feet were exposed, white and delicate against the carved rock of the stairs, almost as coldly blue-pale as the marble.

My brothers held my hands and whispered things in the language the merpeople only knew, a fluid music that sons of Adam are no longer able to hear, for they block out the melodies of life for their own songs to rival what God there is in the heavens. Such hubris, such sadness… I let the cool wet fingers touch my own warm ones, for the first time feeling what how different my people were from the humans, for our skin was slick, covered in a layer of oil and slime, and faintly pebbled, as though a myriad of delicate scales lay just under the webbing of our flesh. Their hands were webbed, like the delicate feet and paddles of frogs, the membranes between their fingers stretching as they reached for me.

Ryuuji held me close after Honda and Malik fussed, not almost pulling me under like Honda or burying a wet face into my dampening night shirt like Malik. He merely held me as well as he could, hauling himself from the water to hold me like he had for so many years after our mother had died. His tears were hot and burned with bittersweet aching against my chest and shoulder.

And I cried as well.

I wept into his shoulder and his salt-sticky hair. I howled silently as my empty throat rasped and wheezed in airy sobs. It was for an eternity I was there, so close but so far from home, the place I had once been but now seemingly could never return.

I had given up what I have loved and known for what I loved even more dearly, so much like the desperate motions of the waves against the cliff face. But that did not mean it hurt any less.

When we parted, Honda and Malik came close, cautiously.

"It was for the prince, wasn't it?" Malik said softly, his eyes, blackened lilac in the night, all too knowing but fearful, unwilling to accept that truth.

"Why, Yuugi?" Honda asked in desperation, raw and simple. "Why?" His eyes were tarnished silver in the moonlight, bewilderment and betrayal on his face, accusing me with his simplistic view on life.

"For love," Ryuuji finally said. His voice was soft and raspy and was almost drowned by the sighing of the waves around him. He looked up at me. "You wish to have a soul."

I could only nod silently, unable to look at them any longer. Honda and Malik came close in frenzied whisperings, holding onto me, begging me to forget it all, to return to the sea, for it was clear I was so unhappy here… But Ryuuji halted them. He came to me again and reached up with his elegant sculpted hands to cup my face, dwarfed in their size.

Ryuuji kissed me and it was as bitter and sweet and fiery as the wine that had made me blush at Yami's first banquet. His lips were the briny bitterness of the sea but with all its cooling winds and gentle currents and warming surface. It was at once chaste and sensual, as we merpeople are, innocent and free in our uninhibited bodies but bewitching in our fey nature in the strange remolding of the human form.

"I love you," he whispered, and I could only look at him beseechingly, could only mouth the words to him as tears blurred once again in my eyes, and everything seemed to fade into a haze of gray.

I awoke in my bed to find a neat and ordered room, the window unopened and letting in the first dancing rays of a new sun. My eyes fell upon the canopy and could not find that man, that sad and stilted figure that was a white face against the lashings of shadow and chaos, only the trails of vines and blossoms. But as I slowly sat up, I found in my hand a single lock of Ryouji's hair, raven black and twined with sea kelp.

* * *

The days passed from then on. I painstakingly learned to read and write, a most difficult task but one I put much determined effort into, for I came to realize that in the strange script of the Sons of Adam, I could at last have a voice, if in ink and upon parchment.

Music came far more easily. Though I learned the flute, the lute, and the violin, my heart rested well with the spinet and the piano. Somehow, my thin, little fingers danced across the keys fluidly, without any trouble at all. The notes were too easy and I seemed to spring into the music easily once I had heard a melody, not needing the stacks of wrinkled parchment marked with lines and dots. I mimicked music easily, my ears registering the sound in an instant, but I strove to not merely mimic but to enhance.

The nobles whispered of my curious abilities with music and dance and fawned over me. One lady in particular petted over me, always gazing at me with enormous, mysterious amethyst eyes that rivaled my own in color. She was known as Lady Mai, of a good house that was known for powerful, wise women who truly deserved their House sign of a siren before the ocean. There was always a smile that danced on her red painted lips as she gently waved time to my music with a fan made of peacock feathers and white jade. She cooed over me and lavished me with sweetmeats, knowing my favorite marzipan figures and anise seed cakes. I was a pet to her and I delighted her, most curiously enough, despite the fact that she never once laid a hand on me that was amorous.

She had the makings of a musician, if only in knowing the sensuality of art. Her body was a work of art and she devoted every waking hour to the devotion of her particular art, which was in enhancing every aspect of her life, be it every gesture she made and every feature she had. She taught me sensuality, if indirectly, teaching me the arts of using carefully blended scents to beguile an unwary visitor and startle a paramour and moving the body to draw a watcher's eye to particular features. However, I saw a deep and ever present sadness in this sensual goddess's violet eyes, something that touched me. It was not my place to fix it as she was quick to hide it behind her carefully created mask. It forever struck me, that deep and impenetrable silence and soberness behind her painted face, beneath the wells of her enormous violet eyes. I would write a song for her not long after I met her, a sweet, sensuous melody that was accented by the chiming of bells, as those of a dancer's in a marketplace, and had a single violin crooning out a melancholy aria in its middle, too soon forgotten however, by the untutored listener, who would be swept away by its jaunty, infectious beat and lush, sensual tones.

I spent my days playing music as the prince entertained me. He was always a good friend and played a part in tutoring me. He protected me from too much of his Court, being a surprisingly shrewd Heir in looking past the venom behind the soft eyes and paws of the courtiers.

"They are like snakes," he would tell me as I fumbled through a copying exercise.

The amber shade of the lamp cast soft shadows on us both as my childish hands tried to painstakingly write. Unfortunately, I was not the best of writers and still struggled with the concept of letters and _words_. And I did not know how to ask my tutors to teach me something as simple as writing what I so wanted to say:

I love you.

I stopped though, welcoming the distraction as I reached for a handkerchief to futilely wipe ink from my fingers. The question must have been in my eyes as he smiled.

"You can raise them," he said, reaching over to gently clean my hands. "You can feed them, you can guard them… But you never know when they will strike."

He lightly pinched my hand and I squirmed, seeing a sudden shadow of darkness cross his eyes. "But never mind that," he finally said, with a chuckle. "I speak of dark things."

Yami brushed a bit of hair from my eyes. "And those things aren't for you, my innocent wildling from the sea," he said softly. "You look at me with those enormous violet eyes, so rare, so deep, and I instantly feel tainted like the darkness I am named for."

I blushed, swallowing and shaking my head to dispute it. He was anything but dark! He was sunlight, bright and golden and wonderful, frightening in his brilliance. That he would debase himself for _me_…

"I wonder where you have come from, child," he now said. "You have all the manners of a royal and yet… I have had men search and search for anyone who has lost family from any noble House. I wonder who you are…"

I looked at him and tried to tell him who I was with my eyes, those eyes that all said spoke more eloquently than my lips, even more than my song. I looked at his crimson eyes and told him who I was and where he had last seen me and that I loved him even more for his kindness and wisdom and strength-

"But it matters not," he finally said, breaking the spell. "We will continue to search for your home. But until then… I will have you as my ward, foundling, my beautiful dumb one." And he kissed my forehead chastely.

The witch came for me that night.

He was clad in black and red, toying with a glass of wine. "So affection continues to grow, my dear," he said lightly, sipping at the alcohol.

I glared. "Don't toy with me!" I snapped at him, my temper thin to his babbling.

He arched an eyebrow. "What troubles you?"

"Everything," I whispered. "I try to tell him that I love him but-" I stared at my hands. "My fingers always falter."

"It is part of the bargain, my dear," he said with a shrug, trailing fingertips around the rim of his glass.

"What?" I turned around to face him, incredulous.

"You don't think that it is due to your own idiocy that you cannot write properly, do you not?" A twisted smile started to cross his face. "No, my dear. I'm afraid your charms will have to do."

"You lied to me!"

"I didn't lie at all," he retorted smoothly. "I did tell you that you had it within you already to tell him all. Now it is his game, my love."

My fists clenched and I took one step to the witch. He smiled at me slowly. "By and by," he said idly. "I did make things easier for you, my dear. You realize that such little details as your status in the humans' Courts are not an issue, no? You are not put as a servant or your good name questioned, do you not realize?"

"Why?" I paused to consider it.

"Consider it a gift," he said with a decidedly complacent smile. "A bit of meddling here, a touch of memory."

"I thank you," I said as sarcastically as I could muster. "I can only wonder how you can do it."

One dancing mahogany eye smiled at me. "A witch must keep secrets now, my boy. I wish you greater luck than before."

The morning I awoke from that particular dream was one of the few times I came close to snapping at anyone without any particular reason.

Shizuka talked merrily of her brother on the mornings she came in to take care of me, a pleasant, never overbearing dialogue that always cheered me up and amused me even on that distinctly grouchy and gloomy morning after the dream, and eventually Yami introduced me to him. Jounouchi. I liked him immensely. He had a simplicity and courage about him that reminded me of Honda immediately. His humor was rough around the edges and he would never be any sort of scholar, but he had a good heart and kind eyes. He was like a good hound dog, faithful to a fault, though deadly when angered, like one of the enormous wolfhounds Yami trained deftly and loved so dearly.

Jounouchi trained me when he could in knife throwing and in simple maneuvers, after determining that there was no way I would be a swordfighter. Bumbling he may have been at times, oddly when Lady Mai was present, he was deadly with knives and in combat, being one of the best fighters of the Guard. Perhaps it was because he was distinctly _common_ about it. He never cared much for strict rules or honor that nobility observed so "graciously" but fought to win, when it mattered.

Shizuka was his only family and he cherished her beyond anything. He currently was doing as much as he could to earn a stipend from the Crown enough to support her, so she did not have to serve at the Prince's castle. At times, he didn't know how to be around her, as she was as frail as a hothouse flower to him, especially with her growing blindness, but she loved him dearly. I admired their love for each other. Like for Lady Mai, I wrote a song for them, a child-like melody that was of flute and fiddle, of a soaring, sweet voice and a rougher, powerful voice that melded together in a balance of masculine and feminine. Jounouchi thought it touching as a gesture and sweet enough as a song but frankly beyond his own comprehension and I would hear Shizuka singing it from time to time with a look of quiet joy on her face.

Another man I would meet would be one of Yami's advisers, one Duke Seto of House Kaiba. Prince Yami was in his castle by the sea to live in apparent quiet debauchery (I had blushed when discovering this over gossip-filled tea time with Lady Mai and some of her peacock bright attendants), a distraction his parents offered for a year in celebration of his birthday. Yami however, was a shrewd man and was using the time to learn the finer points of rule, if only in recreating a Court to learn its currents and eddies and treacherous whirlpools in a smaller, controlled setting. He was creating his own Cabinet and his personal adviser was Duke Seto.

A distant relative of Yami's, Duke Seto was quite close to the line of succession and he and Yami had a tenuous relationship, though they were somewhat fond of each other, if only in a slightly condescending manner of two wolves vying for pack leader. Duke Seto unsettled me very much. He was cold, almost inhuman. He was hardly evil, no, it was more that he treated all impersonally and coldly, without inflection or tone.

Admittedly he was handsome however, with hair of polished mahogany that he wore cropped short, a conservative cut that was rather military, and a stern, handsome face that had the same sculptured beauty of a marble cliff face or an expanse of polished clearest ice and all the remoteness of those magnificent creations. His eyes unsettled me the most. They were a blue that was the color of a clear winter sky and sharp as ice, penetrating and inquisitive and as unreadable as the darkest depths of the sea. His was not a gentle beauty, not with his eyes so intense that it frightened and overwhelmed by power and sheer hue.

He gazed at me in suspicion, as though the witch's geas was not enough to hold him to accept me with a bland distance. His eyes always studied me and each time that ice blue gaze fell on me, I felt my spirit shrink inside me. I sought to see him, for I sensed something hidden inside him, the secret to his coldness. But never once could I penetrate his ice, for my efforts were as futile as a sparrow pecking at winter's hoary glaciers.

I puzzled out a song for him; it was the project that distracted me the most. I would sit up nights, pondering over pages of notes that I forced myself to painstakingly learn, instead of relying on sound alone to play my instruments. Yami listened in on one of my efforts on one of the rare days that Lord Bakura begged dismissal from my lessons for the sake of other business.

I pounded on the keys of the piano in a minor key, puzzling out the chords. My fingers were moved to a dirge, which I had been trying to avoid as much as possible. I frowned and forced the meter to a quicker tempo. But my fingers tapped out a staccato beat, which was _not_ part of Duke Seto's temperament.

"It reminds me of someone," Prince Yami said slowly, considering a glass of wine. "A very familiar person."

I glanced at him, smiling a bit wryly and nodded. Let him guess; it would amuse him.

Yami delighted in puzzles and games, teaching me chess immediately and moving onto further games, including backgammon. He was currently occupied with learning a game from the East, a strategy game that was deceptively simple: capturing the opponent's pieces while claiming territory by setting down colored stones on a board. But, as we discovered, it was not so simple to win the game once it was learned.

The nobles within the court very quickly realized that the way to Yami's heart was not through flattery and appearances. The women abandoned their futile attempts in the finest arts of beauty to meet his eyes. It was in clever talk and cultured minds that attracted the prince and a love of games, though not those of intrigue but rather, wit and intellect. It was the women who studied who received his nods, women who would ordinarily not attract the attentions of a Crown Prince, women who were not with alabaster pale flesh and rose red lips, with bright jewel eyes and lustrous locks. It was clever women, facile women who gained his interest, though not necessarily in the art of coquettishness and flattery.

That was how he allowed Lady Mai to dominate his Court, for she was a clever, worldly woman.

"I would not protest in marrying her," he said as we rode along the coast. Riding had come quickly to me, fortunately, thanks to the strange affinity I had with the beasts of the land.

I shot him a horrified look, actual fear closing my throat and making my heart race. He didn't notice, only continuing, "At the least, she is a woman I can respect and admire. It is all we can truly ask for, no?"

I swallowed the lump that throbbed in my throat like a trapped dove and managed a shrug. He looked at me. "I suppose I must give up on the thought of love, dear foundling." There was a deep and profound sadness in his eyes.

I smiled sadly in return, wanting to erase that sorrow that had such deep roots in his very being. Guiding my horse, I gently came to his side, reaching to touch at his gloved hands. He looked at me in surprise as I then drew my hand away, blushing and looking away as my horse danced sideways.

My brothers came to me at night, when I would creep down at the darkest of hours to soak my burning feet within the cooling, soothing waters of the ocean. They would gather by me and tell me stories, of our father languishing but stern, a hollowing cliff face and the admirers lingering and sad, even as my brothers' damp hands would caress my bare feet. Their beautiful eyes cried over my burning limbs, in a vain attempt to steal away the pain, even as their tears hardened and fell to the sea as many countless seed pearls (1), each as fair as a winter moon.

They would tell me stories, Marik and Honda especially, of the beauties they had seen. They told me of princesses, fair and beautiful and compassionate, both of land and sea. One had eyes like the finest of sapphires, they told me, with lips redder than coral and her skin as luminescent as the pearls that lit our palace under the waves. One danced more gracefully than the long fingers of jade green kelp, swifter than any dolphin and just as elegant. One was wise and serene, each movement like that of a swan upon water, always clad in the white of winter and crowned with roses whiter than moonlight upon sea foam.

"She is as slender as a reed by the water," Honda told me one night, bringing me a necklace of jade that encircled the neck thirteen times with rosebud beads that were apple green and as clear as fine ice. "Her hair is but a silken curtain of the finest jet black, blacker than the night sky without the diamond pins of stars to hold it back, and her eyebrows are arched so finely, the wingtips of an albatross skimming the water. This, they say, is her necklace, made for her and her alone, for none have a neck as slender and delicate as hers."

Then they told me of princes, young and swift and handsome and heroic. One had skin like the sands of the coral reefs and was pliant as stalks of great ocean plants that were rooted to the stone of the bottom. One was keen as a young falcon and just as clever, working three times three times three riddles within a sun's passing. One was savagely beautiful as a shark and had a fin to match, all barbed flesh of beautifully mottled gray and the curving scythe of a tapered tail. Malik brought me a clever turban pin, of gold and copper and worked ivory that had a blade like a little knife and the spread plumage of a peacock worked in beautiful enamels of blue and green, with real blood rubies as the twinkling, arrogant eyes of the bird.

"The owner is a prince who has eyes blacker than sin and as velvet as the darkest night," he told me eagerly. "But they are shaped like fine almonds and lined with black paint to wings that extend back. His skin is brown and soft with fragrant scents and spices, his face is like a rose in its delicacy and beauty. His voice is soft and breathy and he stares at the sky like the falcon at his wrist, yearning and hesitant."

And I would play with their presents and smile at their tales, for I knew it pleased Marik and Honda to see me so amused. But as they left when the Dawn touched the horizon with fingers gilded with rose-gold and drew away the fading curtains of the Night, I would look at them vanish beneath the waves and drop their presents back into the sea, one by one, watching the waters close over my offerings.

* * *

(1) According to legend, pearls are the tears of mermaids. It's a pretty image, no?

Bonus points for the readers who get the movie references in here!

* * *

Official Author's Note: I know I haven't been good about updating. For that, I apologize. On top of writer's block, a fairly heavy student's schedule, and the accoutrements of society-dictated lifestyle, I find it hard to dedicate proper time for this. Don't worry readers, I won't be abandoning this! I'd expected to make this longer, but I doubt it will be the long saga I thought it would be, so… look for a conclusion, my readers and may it whet your appetite for more tales! 


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